Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess
by XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX
Summary: The adventure between Link and Midna is finally over and things seem to be back to normal.  That is, until Zelda runs into a stranger and days later, finds herself in a situation where she can't be in the castle and she needs help from Link. ZeldaXLink
1. Prologue

~Author's Note~

This is my first ZeldaXLink story. I haven't finished playing the Twilight Princess game either so if anything might be wrong, please tell me when if anything is wrong, unless I made the thing up for the story. Thank you!

* * *

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Prologue**

Zelda's days never seemed to get easier. She was busy all day long and was usually too exhausted to do anything at night after her long day. She'd fall down on her bed and be asleep almost instantly. So it was strange when she was done for the day and she wasn't tired. She wanted to go for a walk, she realized, and so she changed out of her clothes to more comfortable attire, then headed out.

She didn't argue with herself about it. It was nice to walk, being in the open air, but it wasn't enough. She needed to feel the wind on her face, smell the fresh open air, to hear the sounds she normally couldn't hear in the castle. So, Zelda walked back to the stables and took out a horse, careful to be quiet so she wouldn't disturb anyone. Once she had the horse saddled, she was quick to pull herself up and took the reins. With a click of her tongue, Zelda set off into the darkened area.

Zelda was so happy she thought to ride the horse. It wasn't often she got to ride her and, for once, it was a perfect day. The day had been a calm day with hardly any extra work piling up, so Zelda was able to catch up on her work. And now, she was able to enjoy the joy of riding.

After nearly an hour of riding between trotting, galloping, and walking, Zelda pulled her mare to a stop and dismounted, allowing her to rest. She pulled her hair free from her ponytail and removed her cloak, tying it to the tree limb close by. Zelda walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked across to the sun setting. The wind caressed her skin gently, blowing back her hair in the wind, and Zelda closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet moment.

The silence was interrupted by a howl. Her eyes snapped open and searched for the sound. There, across the dark edge was another edge, where the wolf stood. He wasn't too far off. She could make out his black fur and the white markings on his forehead. She swore he had piercings in his ears also, but she wasn't sure from this distance and then also noticed the crystal around his neck.

He seemed to recognize her as well, for his ears went down and he watched her for a moment before he let off another quick howl and trotted off.

Zelda knew who it was. She had seen him only twice in wolf form, but she did.

As Zelda thought over this, the sunset went down and twilight began to fall and she knew it was time to head back. As she left the ridge, she whistled for the horse and went for her cloak.

As Zelda was tying the string around her neck, someone approached her. She noticed only because her Triforce began to pulse. She looked up. The man was in a completely black cloak, his face covered in shadows because of the hood. He was tall, almost six feet. Zelda had a bad feeling about him, but instead of running, she smiled uneasily and spoke, "Hello, sir, do you need some help?"

She could see the cruel smile that came over his face. "No, I'm fine, Princess Zelda," he replied, beginning to walk off. As he passed her, she felt his hand brush against hers and nearly jumped out of her skin. He smiled cruelly again and continued to walk. She didn't reply or look back at him, but quickly got on her mare and took off.

Zant, once the king of Twilight, watched as the princess rode off**.**

**~Author's Note~**

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 1: Another Meeting

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter One: Another Meeting**

_Link_

"_The _Shadow Crystal_ won't change you into a wolf when it's around your neck, unless you touch it. When you do change into a wolf, touch the _Master Sword_ to change back to a human."_

Link stared at the S_hadow Crystal _in his hand, his other hand on the hilt of the _Master Sword _while he lay in bed. It was too early to get up and start working, so he laid there and began to think over last night finally.

Last night, for the first time in a long time he had seen the Princess Zelda. The last time he had saw her, she had given up most of her life force to save Midna and was near death. She almost hadn't recovered from it, but thanks to the best doctors in Hyrule, she was better. He had been by her side the entire time she was sick and then a little while after she was better.

He was also thinking about the last time he had seen Midna. When they both had finally defeated Zant, Midna had left Link with a few parting words. It was about the _Shadow Crystal _and how he could have it and be a wolf whenever and also when he wanted to turn back. Then she disappeared back to her realm of Twilight.

Link had changed into a wolf on several occasions, just to feel how it felt to be free, to feel the thrill of the hunt (although he never killed the prey), and to let himself just run free. It felt so nice. That is, until last night; he had felt fear to see a human, even if it was Zelda. It was the instinct of the wolf to want to hide from the humans.

He gripped the crystal tightly; maybe it was time to give up the wolf in him. Maybe it was too dangerous to run as the monster everyone was afraid of. But he couldn't just give it up. It seemed to be a part of him, as if it had always been there in his mind, in his blood, in his soul…

He shook his head and dropped the crystal around his neck again. After a moment, he let go of the _Master Sword_ as well. With a sigh, Link got out of bed and slowly walked over to the green tunic sitting on the table. He picked up the top and gazed at it. Should he wear this outfit or not? Even if his adventure was over, he didn't think it would matter if he wore his old outfit. He liked this one better anyways.

As Link was finishing getting dressed, someone knocked on his door. He quickly brushed at his hair in an attempt to make it look less messy, although it was futile, adjusted his hat top and answered the door. "Oh, hello, Link," Colin said shyly. Link smiled at the younger boy.

"What are you doing here this early, Colin?"

"Ilia wanted me to come with and check to make sure you were up before she left Epona with you."

"She's here too? Wow, you guys are early today."

Before Colin could reply, they were interrupted. "Hey, Link! Are you awake yet?" Ilia called from below.

"We should probably head down," Colin said softly, heading down the latter. Link followed his example.

"Good morning, Ilia," Link greeted as he walked up to Epona, running his hand over her flank.

"I'm glad to see you're up early to greet Epona," Ilia said with a nod, finally smiling. "She's ready for another day of work, but be careful with her. I don't want her injured."

"We'll only be going over to Kakariko village. It won't be long, even with Epona taking it slow, so I promise not to hurt her," Link replied, smiling as well.

"I'm glad to hear that. Well, we'll leave you be then. Let's get going, Colin." Ilia smiled at Link as her and Colin left. Then Link was alone with Epona.

"Hey girl," he greeted, placing a kiss on her nose. Epona whinnied, blowing some air in his face. He simply laughed and patted her head as he swung his leg over her saddle. "We'll be taking it slow today. We just have to stop in town first and then we can head over to the village." Epona whinnied again. With a smile, Link took the reign and clicked his tongue lightly. Epona headed off at a slow trot towards Ordon.

The ride was peaceful, with Link talking softly to Epona. She tried to show she was listening, but it was hard to have a human and an animal converse. He wished he could just change wolf and walk beside Epona, chatting, but he knew it wasn't a good idea at the moment. Maybe later though. Right now, he had to focus on the task ahead. That included getting the package for the Gorons.

The town slowly appeared in front of Link, who snapped to attention. Everything in Ordon had turned normal again. The children were back and everyone seemed to be happier. Bo, the mayor of Ordon, greeted Link as he trotted up to the mayor. Link returned the meeting, and then asked, "What package do you have for me to deliver?"

"Yes, it's right over here," Bo answered, walking over to his house. Link dismounted Epona, patted her neck, and followed Bo. It was a large package, too large to take on Epona.

"I don't think Epona will be able to take the package," Link commented, not sure what else to say. Bo grinned.

"Of course not, Link! I have a wagon we'll have to attach to Epona and she can carry it that way."

Link nodded, although he was unsure whether or not Epona could carry the wagon. She wasn't trained to do that. "Bo, I think we would be better off going to Castle town and contacting Telma to see if she could help," Link suggested as the idea dawned on him.

"You sure?"

"Epona's not trained for this work and a lot of the other horses of Ordon are being used by others. Even if this might take longer, I think it's a better shot than making any of the other townspeople angry."

"That's a good point," Bo said hesitantly.

"And if she wants pay, I'll pay her myself. I don't mind."

"Then go race off to Castle town, Link!" Link nodded, then ran off for Epona, and mounted her easily. He took the reins and ran Epona out of town. Now it would be a longer journey. About another day's worth at least, but Epona would be able to take it if they went easy. Link could definitely do that and he was sure Telma wouldn't mind either.  
As they began heading towards the Faron Woods, Link said, "Epona, I think we should probably go by Kakariko Village. It would be quicker, especially since the Royal Family fixed the bridge over there." Link dropped his voice to a whisper. "Besides, I hear there are still some monsters are over at the other entrance. They're from the _Twilight _the Royal family of the _Twili _hadn't been able to reign in on their own."

Epona whinnied and the two began their ride towards the village.

It was about noon by the time they arrived in the Kakariko Village. They couldn't stop to chat, although Link did wave over towards them when he spotted someone he recognized. "It would be easier if we could warp," Link said softly as they continued through the town. Epona gave a soft whinny as if to say she didn't like it. "Oh, right, you wouldn't be able to," Link continued, chuckling slightly. "It was just faster that way, but I like riding with you Epona. You're a great companion."

Epona seemed to like this, although she didn't change her pace much. Link could just sense it. "Epona, we're going to want to pick up the pace a little. We're behind," Link said, clicking his tongue and urging her forward. She followed what she was asked of and took off a fast gallop, almost a run.

It was two in the afternoon when Link finally dismounted Epona, leaving her alone to graze for a while, and ran into Castle town, heading for Telma right away. Several guards nodded towards him as he entered the town. He nodded back, but didn't stop to chat and went for Telma's bar. He entered the bar, being greeted by Telma, who stood behind the counter. Link greeted her back and sat down on one of the chairs. "I have a favor to ask," he said after he ordered a glass of water.

"Oh, what's this?" she wondered, looking curious.

"I have a package I need to deliver to the Kakariko village from the Ordon Village, but it's too big for Epona to carry alone and she can't take a wagon because she not trained properly to travel with it."

"So you need me to come with and help with this package?"

"Yes."

Telma grinned. "Well, why didn't you say so? I've always wanted to go back to Kakariko Village. Now this will give me an excuse to." She paused. "I'll have to wait to leave though. Auru, Shad, and Ashei should be back soon. They can watch the bar for me while I'm gone."

"I can wait. We're not in too big of a rush."

"Great. Would you like something to eat before we head out?"

"That would be great." Link was starving. He ordered a simple meal that wouldn't take too long to eat and waited for it to be done. He chatted with Telma for a while and continued to while he ate, but before long Shad returned. The others were just behind him, so Telma could head out now. Telma said she would meet Link at the front gates of Castle Town. She would get everything ready.

So Link was sitting in the grass, watching Epona. He so badly wanted to be a wolf, to run for just a few minutes… He glanced around. There was a patch of trees right over where he could change back and forth… It was very tempting indeed. He hesitated for one moment, then took off his Master Sword from his belt, ran over to the trees, sat the sword down, and finally changed into the wolf once more.

Epona didn't seem effected to see her master as a wolf. She just spoke to him quickly, telling him to change back soon before Telma appeared. Link replied back and then ran off happily, bounding around. He would stay close to the patch of trees, but would run as well.

He didn't know how long he ran; only that he was running for a very long time indeed. So long that he actually ran into Telma as she was coming down. He took one look at her, turned tail, and ran over to the trees. He shook his head to clear the thoughts and quickly changed back, pretending he had been in the trees and attacking the monster. He ran out from the covers, giving Telma a quick apology. "Did you finish that creature off?" she wondered.

Link swallowed, but answered, pretending to not look so scared at how she spoke of the wolf side of him. He mounted Epona afterwards and listened as Telma explained what she brought. It was a simple amount of supplies; some blankets, a tent, food, and an oil lamp. Link didn't mention it, but he was going to stay up and keep watch all night if they had to stop for the night in a field. It seemed Telma planned on it, so he didn't mention anything yet.

They got to the Kakariko village in a couple hours and didn't stop until it was close to dark. Epona was tired and Link allowed her to stay at the Ordon Spring while he went to find Bo with Telma. She had never traveled this far and several townspeople spoke with her. Even Ilia did and thanked the woman several times over.

Soon, after a nice meal, Link and Telma headed out again after Link picked up Epona. They made it to Kakariko village by ten PM and luckily, there was a Goron out late. He took the package, giving thanks, and said good-bye to Link and Telma. Link insisted on going back with Telma to Castle town, but they had to stop half way for the night. Link started a fire while Telma set up two beds in the tent. He offered to take first watch (although there would only be one) after a quick snack and then Telma lay down to rest.

For a while, all was silent in the area, but then Link heard someone not that far off. He pulled off his Master Sword, prepared to fight as a wolf if it was an enemy. But as he left the shelter of the trees and walked out to a clearing, he realized it was someone from the Royal Family.

The moonlight shined down on her face, making it so bright in the night. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but Link would notice the face anywhere. She was standing in the water, her pants rolled up slightly, and she was staring up at the sky. That's when he noticed for the first time. The stars were slowly blinking out, one by one.

**~Author's Note~**

**Thank you to my first reviewer, Inkwoven! Anyone else reading this, review! It makes me happy =^.^=**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX**


	3. Chapter 2: Long Days

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Two: Long days**

_Zelda_

Zelda rushed to her horse in a panic, quickly mounting her mare and starting her right at a full-out run. She needed to report this immediately to her father and the Council. She knew they would be angry, but she had to call an emergency meeting. Yes, she knew stars blinked out, but never this many at such a rapid pace. This had to be like when the _Twilight _had fallen all over Hyrule.

As she arrived back at the castle, she quickly dismounted the horse, so quickly she landed on her feet at a run. She called for the boy running the stables, who woke with a jolt. He quickly bowed to Zelda as she passed and then ran over to put the horse away. Zelda didn't even pay attention. She just continued to run.

It didn't even dawn on her to change. She was filthy and her pants were sopping went from the small pond. She didn't care; she just needed to get her father.

As she slid into the corridor, Zelda called for the King of Hyrule. Luckily, only he and Zelda were on this floor so she didn't wake anyone. As she arrived at the door, her father opened the door. "Zelda, what are you wearing?"

"The stars, father!" She spoke frantically, her words jumbling up as she tried to explain everything, but her father just put a hand on her shoulder, silencing her. He crouched down in front of her, giving her his father smile.

"Now repeat more calmly," he said, his eyes searching hers. She nodded and explained the situation.

He stood up quickly, and ordered Zelda to wake up those of the High Council once she was changed. She bowed her head and left to change. Then she went for the Council.

_Link_

Link didn't mention anything to Telma about the stars. He didn't want her to worry about it. They ate breakfast early that morning and headed off back to Caste Town. He stayed for a short visit in Telma's bar, but had to leave soon after so Bo wouldn't worry. As he walked beside Epona (she still seemed exhausted), Link thought over what could have happened to the stars.

_Zelda_

The Council was still running. They had been going on for at least four hours now and the sun had finally peaked over the mountains. Zelda was exhausted, seeing as she had never slept that night, and several times she found she had dozed off. She quickly shook her head, watching from her seat at the table as two Council Members argued with each other. She blinked slowly and her eyelids began to slide closed… She jolted awake.

The King noticed his daughter's exhaustion and hesitantly called for a break. He also called for some breakfast for everyone. Zelda rubbed at her eyes, surprised she was tired. She shouldn't be. Normally she stayed up for days sometimes, busy doing a lot of work around the castle. She stood up, planning for a quick bathroom break, when suddenly a sharp pain shot up her spine into her head. She keeled over at the nausea and closed her eyes tightly. She tried to take deep breathes, but the bile rose up and came out, splatter the wall.

"Zelda," the King said softly, coming to his daughter's side, "why don't you go lay down?"

"I'm fine, father," Zelda replied, straightening up slightly. Just smelling the puke made her want to throw up again. She stepped away. "I just need some food. I haven't eaten in a while." It was true. She had missed several meals yesterday and now breakfast as well.

"I'll get some water for you." The King called over for someone to clean up the mess and for some water. Zelda slipped out of the room. Quickly, she rinsed out her mouth and used the bathroom. The Councils were meeting up again when she returned, but they made no sign they knew anything about her being sick. Gratefully, she sat down in her seat and drank the water her father had gotten her. She also took some food, but hardly touched it. Just thinking about eating made her stomach churn.

It was the same arguments over and over. Who had caused the stars to blink out? Would the sun go out? What about the moon? Could the _Twili _(that's what Link had called them, Zelda recalled) be part of this? Also, if they began to disappear last night, did anybody in Hyrule notice? If so, what did they think was going on?

Finally, Zelda stood up, waiting to be noticed and listened to. Silence fell quickly. Zelda cleared her throat, and then spoke clearly for all to hear. "Here me clearly, Council, for I know what we must do." She paused, taking a deep breath. She was starting to feel dizzy. She couldn't be nervous. She had spoken in front of the Council several times… "To settle out several of these questions, we will have to do several things. First, we must see if anyone of Castle Town has noticed the stars. If so, we must make sure they are all calmed down. Second, we should contact our best astronomers in Hyrule and gather them to our facility to study these stars and watch them. I'm sure they make maps every day, so they may even have the map from only moments before the stars blinked out." Zelda paused again to swallow her sick feeling and continued. "Third, if we have proof these events are because of the T_wili _then I know someone we can contact." The Council seemed impressed. Zelda had to grin. "I shall send guards out to Castle Town to check on everyone. For now, let's allow this meeting be adjourned."

The Council had several questions for Zelda, but the King declared the meeting over temporarily. They would meet again as soon as the astronomers arrived and showed them the designs. Zelda sat back in her chair, feeling exhausted again. She closed her eyes, breathing again and took another drink of water. "Zelda, why don't you go relax for now. I know you're tired, so go ahead."

"I'll be fine father," Zelda argued, rising from her chair, but she stumbled and had to sit down again. What was going on with her?

"Go rest," The King argued, calling for some servants. "Please set up a warm bath for my daughter, and then make sure she's comfortable in her bed before she goes to sleep."

"Father! I don't need someone to set up my room or my bath," Zelda argued, flustered, as her father helped her out of the room.

"You're exhausted, Zelda. Make sure to rest up. We're going to have to a long meeting real soon."

"Let me contact the people," Zelda suggested, stumbling slightly as she tried to walk up the stairs. "I'll stay in bed, but I'll write the letters to contact the people." _'Just let me do something!' _she begged silently.

"Very well, I can allow that, but afterwards, you are to rest and sleep. I'll inform you of everything I learn at dinner tonight."

"All right, father," Zelda nodded, happy.

At this moment, a servant appeared, taking Zelda towards her bath. She smiled at her father as she left and then allowed the servant to lead the way. When they arrived at the bathroom, she was left alone again. She was happy to finally sink down in a warm bath for a while.

After about half an hour, Zelda stood up out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. She left the bathroom and walked down to her bedroom, not far from the bathroom. Zelda dressed in a simple white nightgown and crawled into her fluffy bed. Then, she began the letters.

Once those were done and someone had taken them to be delivered, she happily closed her eyes, happy she was finally beginning to feel better. As a smile lit on her face, she fell into the arms of her dreams. Too bad she did, for the dream was littered with nightmares.

_Link_

He was at home, lying on his bed. When Link had returned from his job for Bo, Bo had been happy to hear everything was successful. So far, no one seemed to have noticed the stars missing. It was strange, but not too strange, seeing as most of those in Ordon weren't out at night. And if anyone noticed anything, they hadn't mentioned anything. Link wasn't going to bring it up either. Zelda was probably handling the situation. The Royal Family would bring some information later on when they had some.

And besides, he was exhausted. He couldn't stand being on his feet anymore and he couldn't stay up any longer. So he closed his eyes, hoping to sleep for a while. And he fell to dream as well.

_It was a time while he was in Castle Town. Most of the _Twili _had finally returned to their realm and all the chaos was settled for the time being since Ganondorf had been defeated. A week had passed since Zelda had been returned to the castle, but she hadn't woken up hardly any time. A few time she had, but Zelda was completely delirious so she had no idea what was going on. Several times, she spoke of her childhood, but that was it. Otherwise, she was unconscious and very sick. All the doctors around the land were there, trying to treat her and Link was as well. He stayed by her bedside day and night, hardly resting or even eating. He was worried about her, especially after the thrashing he had to give her when she was possessed because of Zant._

_This was when Zelda woke during one of her delirious times, except this time, she seemed to see who was beside her. 'Link,' she spoke softly, taking his hand that was resting on her bed. 'It-It's h-horrible, Zant he is,' she whispered, then her eyes closed again. 'I'm-I'm glad you-you're back to your-your true form.' Then she was unconscious once more. He held her hand after that, talking to her softly some days, others just letting her know he was beside her; watching over her, protecting her…_

_At this point, Link seemed to separate from his dream self. As he watched the two dream figures converse, he smiled as he looked at Zelda. She looked so peaceful as she slept there, so beautiful…_

Suddenly, Link woke with a start. Heat began to flood his cheeks and he had to shake his head several times. It was just a dream, it didn't matter, but what was it that Ilia used to say? Dreams were always your subconscious thoughts…? That just sent another wave of heat that covered his entire face and the heat began to creep down his neck as well.

Link sat up and stood out on his porch. For a while, he just stared up at the darkening sky, and he didn't notice the figure watching him just a little off in the trees.

After a while, Link finally left his home to the Ordon Farm to round up some goats.

_Zelda_

She woke with a scream, nearly jumping out of her own bed. Zelda shook her head, wrapping herself up in her blanket and closing her eyes temporarily. That creature appeared again, causing her to flinch and open her arms again.

Zelda hated nightmares. This one, she was trapped in a black abyss, besides the few lights from Light and Zant (although since Zelda never saw Zant, she imagined him as a spider dragon with the body of a dragon with lots of legs like a spider). Link had fallen several times and died and Zant ate her. It would keep replaying until Link had gone through all the most painful deaths she could imagine. Finally, though, she was awake.

She pulled a robe around her body and walked out onto her balcony, glancing at the sun. It was nearly Six PM. The time her father would want to eat, so Zelda got dressed in a casual dress to head downstairs in. Dinner was pleasant with her father, who talked about what had happened. Apparently, no one in Castle Town had any idea about the stars (from what the guards had gathered through the gossip) and her father had sent out guards to look across the rest of the land. Hopefully, they would be able to rein in the chaos before it got too bad. Also, the King had added, it seemed that some of the astronomers were on their way already. They should arrive by tomorrow with maps of the sky up until that night.

When Zelda left dinner and said good-night to her father, she began walking back to her room for more rest. She was feeling sick again and asked for some Ginger Ale before she had headed up. She didn't want her father knowing she was sick again. Zelda needed to make sure to greet the people tomorrow. If it had something to do with the _Twili, _she would need to be able to go contact Link right away as well.

She drank all of the Ginger Ale before she lay down to sleep. Her dreams were filled with Nightmares and _Twilight _all night.

**~Author's Note~**

**Oh, wow, I didn't expect this chapter to be up this quick. I guess I've just really been into this story ^^ Well, I hope you enjoyed it. And thank you to all my reviewers Inkwoven, supersonic50, Sapphiet,** **Amethyst 269, R h i a n d u r, and Alex Leep****!**


	4. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Change

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Three: An Unexpected Change**

_Zelda_

It was all gone, finally. She was no longer feeling so sick and she was happy about that. Zelda was able to eat a full breakfast and got ready to greet her guests afterwards. Hopefully, they would find a clue as to what exactly was going on later on and she would need to see if she needed to contact Link.

Once she was dressed and ready for the meeting, she headed downstairs to meet her father in the conference room. The meeting shouldn't have started yet, but she didn't know if he was meeting with someone so she knocked anyways.

"Come in!"

Zelda opened the door and walked in. He was alone with a few maps of the sky from what the Astronomers had gathered in Castle Town. She could see already that they weren't very accurate.

"How are things coming along, father?" Zelda wondered as she stepped up beside her father and began to look at the most recent map. It was from about two weeks ago. "Is this the most recent they have? I would have thought they would make new maps daily."

"The other astronomers are here and eating. Would you mind gathering up the Council and having them all meet up here?" the King wondered, turning to his daughter.

Zelda nodded. "Right at this moment, father?"

"Yes."

"I shall bring them here. What about the astronomers? Shall I gather them up as well?"

"They will be here."

"Very well."

As she turned to leave, her father said, "Thank you, Zelda."

Zelda turned and smiled. "Of course, father."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm a lot better."

"Good." He nodded his head in approval. "I shall see you at the meeting as well."

It never occurred to Zelda she might not be welcome. She usually was, so she never thought to ask. "Yes." With that said, she turned around and walked out of the room. Quickly, she went around, looking for the Council Members. Thankfully, most of them were around the same general area. A few were further off, but the other Council Members knew where they were and told Zelda where to find them.

Once she had everyone off the list (she had memorized), Zelda headed back towards the Meeting Room. What would they figure out during this meeting? Would they have a clue as to what was going on? Would Link have to help Hyrule again?

The meeting was slow. All around, the Council Members were observing the star charts. There were new ones Zelda hadn't seen, ones that were much more up-to-date than the ones in Hyrule. Zelda walked over to these, observing them with interest.

"Princess Zelda," a man said behind her.

Zelda turned around. A man with deep blue eyes was here. He was tall, much taller than Zelda with black hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. His face was wrinkle-free and he had a kind smile on his face. But for some reason, as she looked at him, hairs stood on end on the back of her neck

"Hello, Sir," Zelda replied, bowing slightly and hoping to hide her discomfort.

"I'm the charter of these stars. I did this just last night."

"Where in Hyrule did you chart this?" Zelda asked, turning to look at the picture again.

"At the time, I was in Ordon."

A buzzing suddenly entered Zelda's head, but she tried to ignore it. The man's entire display was right in front of her and she tried to pay attention to what he was saying. He tried to tell her which stars had gone out which night, what the stars all represented, etc., but she couldn't listen.

She was relieved when he finally left her to ponder over the matter. Zelda cocked her head to the side as she looked over the star maps. It seemed that the sign was…

The room began to spin before Zelda could fully comprehend what it was she saw on the map. While Zelda debated whether or not to leave the room, the room began to settle down. She closed her eyes, listening as the faded voices of the Council grew louder until she could hear what they were saying. Several were arguing over what to do. Zelda noted her father seemed focused intently on everything they said. As Zelda was going to speak, he raised a hand and asked in a calm tone for silence. Everyone fell silent instantly.

"For the meeting, we shall go to the meeting room. I only want you all to observe and discuss, please do not come to me with ideas just yet," the King of Hyrule announced. "You have another five minutes before we leave."

Zelda turned back to the pictures. She'd been examining this one most, the most recent one, and also the least recent maps of the stars. She studied all the others, trying to figure out exactly what stars went out at what days. None of this seemed to make much sense, but she could only hope it would all fall into place soon.

Finally, the King of Hyrule called everyone to order and asked them to follow him to the Meeting Room. Zelda fell in behind last, giving one last look to the other maps. The way these maps were charted, it seemed impossible to tell which stars went out first. If only someone had recorded the stars going out… Not that they would have been able to. Technology that advanced was only rumors still. Everyone knew this.

The entire group shuffled into the large room, settling down at the table. Zelda sat by her father, glancing at him. He nodded once and stood up with a smile. "Let us begin the discussion."

Zelda was surprised how it all happened. One moment, the council and Astronomers were silent, the next moment noise erupted out of them. Never before had they tried to out speak each other, or had they began arguing with each other like they were now. She was also amazed when she stood up and ordered everyone to fall silent.

"Thank you, Zelda," the King said slowly as he stood up and walked up to the front of the room. "I want everyone to share, one at a time, what you think is going on. We can't have chaos. We must be strong."

Several murmured apologizes. The King nodded to the first man and listened to exactly what everyone was saying.

_Link_

Link woke early in the morning. It was much too early to be up yet. It was still dark out. But he frowned. Something didn't seem right. He swore just a minute ago, the sun was gleaming in his face. He shrugged and got up. He pulled down several herbs and began to cut up fresh salt-cured meat he'd just got from the salt down in the basement. He set water up to boil and once it was, he threw in the meat, the herbs and some fresh cut up vegetables; breakfast stew.

As the soup continued to cook, Link climbed up the ladder of his home to peak around outside. Everything began to make sense as he looked out. Dark clouds began to cover the entire sky. He could already feel the wind picking up and the dampness of the air.

It wasn't the time to worry about breakfast; he had to help secure Ordon now.

Epona wasn't at his home. So instead, he had to run. He had to run as fast as possible. With how those clouds looked like, Link knew the storm was going to be bad.

Everyone in Ordon was out. Some were securing the buildings with large logs tied together, children were collecting up the animals and others were beginning to fix up more securing logs.

As soon as Link entered Ordon, he spotted Bo. Bo spotted him at the exact same time and waved the younger boy over. Link ran over quickly and asked, "What do you need help with?"

"Ilia won't leave Epona alone in the barn without securing it well first. It's going to be a little bit before we get there and we don't have a little bit. Can you help her?"

"I'll do that." Link ran behind Bo's house quickly and headed up the hill for the barn Ilia was in.

_Zelda_

Someone in Hyrule ran to the Councils' Meeting. They were in the middle of yet another argument; now it was about when each star went out each night. Zelda had her head in her hands.

As soon as the messenger burst into the room most if not everyone jumped and one or two nearly fell out of their chairs. Zelda stood up and asked, "What's the matter?"

"The King of Hyrule, we need you immediately. There is a large storm approaching and we need you to make an announcement to everyone in Castle Town." The King nodded and turned to his Council.

"I'll dismiss everyone for now. We'll meet up again later."

As the rest of the Council began to walk off, the King walked over to Zelda and said softly. "Zelda, go to your room and collect up your most personal belongings. Then I want you down in the basement. You're not allowed to move until I come for you. Understood?"

Zelda nodded, keeping eye contact with her father. Then she began to her room.

This is where things began to get fuzzy. She was perfectly fine one moment; the next moment, the stairs were spiraling in all sorts of directions. She stumbled to her room, but before she could make it anywhere else, she collapsed to the floor.

As the pain rippled through her body, she couldn't help, but scream.

**~Author's Note~**

**Aw, man, I wish I could have gotten more descriptive about what happens with Zelda, but I don't want to give it away. Tell me what you think of my new update!**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX**


	5. Chp 4: Something Wolfie This Way Comes

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Four: Something Wolfie this way comes**

_Link_

Link and Ilia finished up the barn quickly, but by the time they had, the wind was howling and nearly ripping the roofs off the homes. "Let's head back now!" Link yelled over the wind as he ran towards the door. Ilia followed, but as the door slammed against the wall, she nearly fell back from the power of the wind.

"It's too dangerous out there!" Ilia shouted back. "I think we should stay!"

"No, if a tornado hits, we'll be doomed. We need to be under proper shelter." He held out his hand for her to take. "Trust me, I can get you back."

Ilia hesitated for a moment, but took his hand. He pulled her close to him and began his slow, but steady walk back towards her home. The wind battered their bodies and several times, Link had to push Ilia to the ground to protect her from flying objects. It took nearly ten minutes of a normal two minute hike from the barn to the house.

Ilia was gasping for her breath when they finally arrived at her house. Link was only slightly out of breath. "Link, you should stay," Bo said, watching as Link got prepared for his hike back to his house.

Link smiled, but declined. "I need to secure my own home. I can get back there just fine."

"Don't be stupid Link," Ilia said hotly, walking up to him. "We hardly got back here ourselves and that was a two minute walk. Your house is at least ten minutes away. You'd be killed in that storm!"

"I'll be fine," Link argued, readjusting his hat that was securely tucked in his belt. He didn't need it blowing off his head in the storm. "I'll be back as soon as the storm is over."

"Link!" Ilia began, but Link was out the door before she had a chance to finish her sentence.

He didn't look back, but tried to run away from the view of the house as fast as possible. This wind was _very _difficult to try to get through. That's why he wanted to be a wolf to get home.

As soon as he was away from the house, he changed. The morph was painless as it always was nowadays and as he met the wind as a wolf, he let out a snarl. With strong leg muscles, he began to fight the wind back home. It was a struggle, fighting against the wind, between dodging flying twigs and trying not to swallow every bug, leaf, or any foreign objects, but he would make it home within ten minutes at most.

But the wind was picking up and rain began to fall. Now he couldn't see well either. He had to keep his ears folded down as well, head ducked. So it wasn't too big of a surprise when he was hit with a large log flying through the air. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, the wind wiping at his fur.

#

#

Link blinked once, then twice, and tried to register where he was and what had happened. He knew he was in wolf form… no wait, there was a human hand there. And there.

So he wasn't a wolf anymore.

He must have hit his _Master Sword _after he'd fallen unconscious. Plus, judging by the pain in his head, the small pool of blood, and the log not too far off from him, he must have been hit unconscious in the storm. It was still going on, but not half as bad as before. He should be able to walk the rest of the way home.

He stumbled to his feet, ignoring the pain, and began to walk. The wind was blowing in his favor this time and helped him walk home. The rain had long since soaked his green tunic, but now it seemed worse and was clinging uncomfortably to his body.

When his home finally showed up, he gratefully climbed the ladder and entered his home. The fire had long since burned out and the stew was almost completely out of liquid. Link threw in some twigs and leaves, which tiny flames began to lick up greedily. He stoked the fire with some larger twigs and then went to change into a spare pair of dry clothing.

Once he had hung up the tunic to dry, he turned to the stew and checked on its condition. It wasn't burned, so he tried to salvage the stew. He added more water and a few more herbs. Then he went upstairs and covered the opening. He covered his other two openings on the first floor last, then he pulled up a stool and settled in front of his stew. He wasn't too worried about the storm now; he was sure the worst had passed.

So he sat there, humming under his breath as he worked. He was content to sit here and work on his stew. So, when he heard a howl cut through the cry of the wind, Link hesitated. The howl had a familiar ring, but he didn't know if it was just a wild one searching for something.

With a shake of his head, he got to his feet and opened his front door. He climbed down the ladder, the _Master Sword _in hand. Once his feet met the ground, he carefully propped the sword up and then morphed. Shaking out his fur, Link carefully made his way towards the sound, surprised the creature was so close to his home. Although, several critters had made stops by his house recently…

He caught a whiff of a very familiar scent and quickly ran off in that direction. There was another howl, right in the direction he was heading. Link began to run, hoping he could find the wolf quickly.

Suddenly he came to a halt. In front of him, stood a beautiful arctic she-wolf, but she wasn't one exactly. Beautiful, black intricate designs covered her fur from head to toe, spiraling from circles to other shapes. The she-wolf didn't flee when he walked forward, but she did tense and her ear popped up. Her stance suggested she would attack if necessary.

Link spoke softly, asking, _"What happened to you, Princess Zelda?"_

The white wolf relaxed when Link spoke softly in the native wolf tongue. _"So, you recognize me, Link?"_

"_Of course I would," _he replied softly.

Zelda nodded, then said, _"My tale is strange. I don't know exactly what happened."_ She went into detail over the last four days, beginning from the stranger touching her hand until she collapsed to the ground. Then, she began that tale…

_Zelda woke with a start, blinking several times. She stood up slowly and shook herself out. Wait, she shaking herself out? Zelda observed everything. The bed seemed taller, so did the room, and everything was definitely more spacious. What was going on? She began to walk around, observing the rather tall objects in her room. That's when she finally noticed; she was on four legs… and she had paws! She let off a yelp and jumped back. Zelda couldn't escape herself though. So, she closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. When she opened her eyes, she began trying to think of a plan._

_How would she get out? She sat on the ground, contemplating for a moment. She'd find Link and see if he could help. There was one problem; she couldn't figure out how she would get out. She trotted towards the door, to discover it was open a crack. Mentally she sighed and rolled her eyes. Typical._

_So, she gripped the door with her dew claw and opened it up. Then, she began to creep down the stairs, carefully listening for a sound of anything. When she heard footsteps, she froze, prepared to turn tail and run back to her room, but they always faded away. So, Zelda got to the end of the stairs, took a quick look, and ran down the hall._

_She raced down halls, down stairs, picked up a mob, and finally she got to the first story. She was panting, looking around frantically. She needed to find a place to escape. Then, she spotted a window. Zelda hesitated, but from the crash of the mob and a glance over her shoulder, she ran towards the window, bunched up her muscles in her hind legs, and crashed through the window, scratched, but not harmed._

'I need to find Link,'_ she thought mentally, fighting at the storm that crashed through Castle Town._

Zelda finished her tale, silently watching Link's reaction. Link sat for a moment, brooding on all of his thoughts and ideas. _"What did the man look like, the one who touched your hand?" _Link wondered, a small frown on his wolf face.

Zelda thought for a moment, pawing at the ground. _"I couldn't see his face. He was completely in the shadows, but he did seem to have a very cruel smile. And the smile was very familiar to my nightmares…"_

Link nodded, asking, _"Could you have possibly seen a mask?"_

"_Possibly…" _Zelda knew she wasn't helping. But it seemed, as she saw the look pass over his face, Link knew who it was. His upper lips pulled back into a snarl.

"_Zant." _Zelda's eyes widened.

"_You think he did this? I thought… I thought he was dead!"_

"_I did too," _Link hissed, a predatory look falling upon his face. _"I'll kill him again though for what he did to you…"_

Zelda didn't say a thing and neither did Link. He began to think again, trying to figure what could have possibly kept Zant alive. His mind wondered for a moment, which he was going to snap at himself for, when suddenly, the idea dawned on him. He ran over to Zelda, nudging her to her paws.

She gave him an odd look and asked, _"What is it?"_

"_I know how to change you back! Come on!" _He turned tail and began to run back to his home. Zelda hesitated for a moment, and then charged after him, the wind fluffing her fur out.

Link's running dropped to a trot, then a walk, and finally he quit running altogether. Zelda stepped up next to him, looking at the item gleaming in the sun. _"Is that what you were talking about?" _Zelda wondered softly, sitting on the ground. Link nodded and walked to the sword. Link knocked the sheath to the ground and nudged the casing off the sword. As soon as his nose touched the sword, he morphed into a human. Zelda instantly tensed and wanted to flee, but before she had a chance to, Link had set the sword on the ground and was a wolf once more.

Zelda hesitated again. _"You just have to barely touch it," _Link urged softly. Trusting Link, Zelda nodded and crept forward, stretching out her neck to touch the sword…

A brilliant light flashed around Link and Zelda. Link turned his head away at the brilliance of the light and expected Zelda to be human any moment. But, he heard a yelp and then the light was gone. Instantly, he went to Zelda side, noticing the wound covering her front leg. He whimpered and gave the tender wound a lick, murmuring, _"I'm sorry. I didn't know the sword would harm you." _Mentally, he thought, 'The sword must not have accepted her like it had me.'

Zelda seemed to smile slightly and said, _"It's quite all right, Link."_

"_I promise, I'll figure out how to change you back," _Link vowed, standing and touching his nose to the sword. He changed back to human and was surprised when Zelda hardly tensed up. "I'll be right back," Link said quietly, walking towards his home. He threw together a quick bag and slipped the backpack over his shoulder. Grabbing a piece of paper, he scribbled on it quickly, grabbed a nail, and placed the note on his door.

Then he met up with Zelda and strapped the sword to his back, changed into a wolf, and the two trotted off, heading for Bo's barn.

In the breeze, the note blew softly, reading, _'__I'm out on another journey. I'll be back some time, hopefully soon. Take care.-Link.'_

**~Author's Note~**

**All right, another chapter done! It took me forever to get this chapter written, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Thank you for some many reviews! Also, if you want to see a drawing of Zelda wolf form, there's a link on my profile.**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX**


	6. Chapter 5: Beginning

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Five: Beginning**

_Link/Zelda_

Link crept toward the barn slowly. His wolf eyes took in everything at once; the building was free of humans. Epona should be inside, alone, as well. So, he continued to creep forward. After a moment's thought, he turned to the beautiful white she-wolf behind him. _"Zelda, I want you to hide on the other side of this barn."_

Zelda, the she-wolf, paused and asked, _"Why don't you want me coming with?"_

"_If Ilia or someone else from Ordon comes here, you can't hide in the barn nor change into a human. I can change if someone shows up."_

After a moment, Zelda nodded and walked away. Link slinked towards the barn, treading on the ground softly. Once he had bumped the door open with his nose, he trotted up to Epona. He spoke first.

"_Epona, I need your help." _The horse whinnied in return. Link continued. He explained the situation of Zelda first, then informed Epona of her need in the 'adventure'.

He didn't get to explain before she stated clearly, _"You need me to help carry supplies."_

"_I plan to ride you as well. While Zelda and I can run in human form, it will be easier if I ride you." _No one knew of his weakness as a wolf. While he had the form of a wolf, his running abilities were about the same as when he was a human since he was technically half wolf/half human. It was different than Zelda, who only shared the side of a wolf with human memories and feelings.

Link informed Epona of this flaw. Of course, Epona agreed anyways. Link thanked her and tried to open the gate. Once Epona was free, the two walked out of the barn. Link couldn't see Zelda, but he caught scent of the she-wolf. Link signalled Epona with his head and started towards Zelda. When they reached the forest, Link continued. Epona stayed behind because of how thick the forest was.

She wasn't far into the forest, crouched in some brush. Link paused and spotted a squirrel on the ground, nibbling away at a nut. She crept forward slowly, her eyes trained on the small animal, and paused again. The squirrel looked up, its ears twitching back and forth as it listened for a sound. After a moment, he went back to nibbling. Zelda hesitated a second; then she pounced, flew through the air like a bird gliding, hit the poor squirrel, and proceeded to rip out his throat.

"_Zelda!" _The terrified squirrel only blinked, looking at Link and then Zelda. Zelda looked back at Link, then noticed exactly what she was doing. Her eyes widened and she backed away, horrified. The squirrel stayed on the ground, dazed. Link walked forward, his flank brushing against Zelda's as he passed. When Link arrived at the squirrel, he crouched down next to it. _"I'm sorry about my companion," _he apologized as he nudged the squirrel with his black nose. The squirrel blinked and sat up slowly. He looked up at Link, then at Zelda again.

Zelda bowed her head. _"I'm terribly sorry," _she apologized, _"I don't know what came over me."_

The squirrel nodded and surprised both Zelda and Link when he spoke. _"It happens regularly with wolves that have just recently changed."_

"_Changed?"_ both Zelda and Link asked. They met each other's confused gaze, then turned back to the squirrel.

"_You don't know?" _The squirrel frowned and explained, _"Part of the wolf population in all forests is humans transformed from evil magick."_

Zelda frowned. _"You mean like the power from the Triforce?"_

"_No, it's magick. It's nothing like the Triforce powers," _the squirrel said.

"_Who controls this magick?" _Link asked.

"_We, the forest creatures, don't know who controls this magick. There have been rumors it's a shadow, that inhabits hosts and destroys every race." _The squirrel paused. _"He's even changed our races."_

"_Is that what happened to you?" _Zelda asked, sitting down.

The squirrel nodded. _"Yes."_

"_What were you?" _Link questioned.

The squirrel seemed to smile. _"I shall see you later, Link of Ordon and Princess Zelda." _Then he disappeared up a tree. Zelda and Link sat there for a moment, and then he began to trot off. Zelda followed after him.

Link was completely silent until they left the forest. Then he turned to Zelda.

"_Zelda, you have to fight the urge to hunt down animals."_

Zelda frowned. _"I can understand it would be… inhuman to eat animals raw like that, but…"_

"_I don't know if it's true for you as well, but… one night, I had transformed into a wolf and I had seen an animal dash across the yard. My wolf half took over and I hunted the animal down. I ate it, but afterwards was the worst part."_

Link paused in the story to speak to Epona. They discussed it quickly; they would head over to Link's home first, then Link would transform back to a human, gather up all of the supplies they would need, and then they would head out again.

Zelda grew impatient. _"Link, tell me what was so terrible!" _Zelda growled, walking after him and Epona.

"_When I ate the animal, I didn't want to turn human again; I wanted to stay a wolf." _Link looked back at Zelda. _"I'm afraid if you eat an animal, you won't be able to be changed back. You have no human half like I had. The whole land would fall into ruins if you disappeared."_

"_They still have the king," _Zelda tried to argue.

Link shook his head. _"You make most of our decisions in the land. The king only assists anymore."_

"…_What happens… if I do…"_

"_Most likely, you'll stay a wolf for the rest of your life. Eventually, you would die like everything else."_

"_So, I'd probably be alone…"_

"_No, I would still be there for you. I'd allow my wolf half to take over."_

"_Link, you wouldn't need to do that." _But Link could tell how happy Zelda was.

She gave Link a wolfish grin and trotted forward. Link followed with his own grin.

They were both silent for only moments before Zelda asked thoughtfully, _"Link, would you be able take a message to my father?"_

"_Why do you need to send him a letter? Wasn't he there with you?"_

"_I was chased from the palace by a mob. There wasn't time to try to see him."_

"_We could head towards the palace. I don't know if I'll be able to request a meeting with him…"_

"_I'm sure my father would understand if you explained it was about me."_

"_We can try," _Link said slowly. They quit talking as they arrived near Link's home. He cocked his head to the side and listened carefully. No one was around yet. Zelda started forward, but then they both heard the sound of the kids in Ordon.

Zelda turned tail and ran back towards the trees. Link cursed himself, told Epona to go after Zelda, and ran towards his home, praying he would get to the sword before the children.

He wasn't so lucky; Malo broke through the clearing first, followed by Colin and Ilia. Link froze. Everyone else froze. Link crouched to the ground, mentally asking for their forgiveness, and pulled back his lips in a snarl. Ilia screamed and ran, followed by Malo, but Colin stayed behind. He hesitated, but followed slowly.

Feeling terribly guilty for what he did, Link sighed and walked towards his home. His sword was resting against his home still, which he proceeded to touch his nose to. With a flash, he was human once more. He stretched for a moment, then climbed the ladder of his home. He collected everything they would need; loaves of bread, some salt-cured meat (still in the salt), flasks of water they could fill up later on, and some extra food for Epona as well.

He slung his old pack over his shoulder, picked up his shield and the _Master Sword, _and went back outside. Epona was already waiting for him. He spotted Zelda in the shadows and smiled at her as he slung his pack upon Epona. She shook her flank, but adjusted to the light weight easily.

Link took hold of the _Shadow Crystal _and morphed into a wolf. _"I can run with you for only a few hours, Zelda," _Link explained as she slinked out of the shadows.

Zelda cocked her head to the side, _"What do you mean?"_

He explained his weakness to Zelda too. _"So, that's why Epona is coming," L_ink finished.

Zelda nodded her understanding. Suddenly, she stretched out her front legs and let off a huge yawn. Link smiled and began to walk towards the pathway through Ordon forest.

"_We can rest after a while. I just want to get us out of the village."_

Zelda nodded and trotted after Link. Hopefully, they could be to the palace in a couple of days.

_Zant_

He fell against the tree, panting from the exertion of his power. He stumbled forward, collapsed to his knees, and crouches forward. Zant closed his eyes and allows his head to rest upon the cool earth. His head pounds with pain and Zant eventually falls upon his side, unconscious.

Upon his left hand, the power of the Triforce pulses and slowly fades into a white mark upon his dark skin.

**~Author's Note~**

**Happy Thanksgiving!**

**I'm sorry it's so short, but I wanted to give you a gift for the holiday and well... here it is. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX**


	7. Chapter 6: Amadahy

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Six: Amadahy**

_Zelda/Link_

Zelda woke with a start. Her muscles tensed the moment she sensed the presence next to her and she prepared to jump off and run away. Then her human half took over and she realized it was Link, in his human form. She stood up slowly, hoping not to wake Link and stepped away quietly, though she winced at her stiff muscles. Epona, who had been asleep underneath a horse blanket, lifted her head. When she saw it was Zelda, she whinnied softly, _"Where are you going?"_

"_I'm going to the nearby tree," _Zelda answered. Epona nodded, satisfied. She lay her head back down. Zelda began to walk off again, muttering curses whenever she stepped on her front paw. The wound from the _Master Sword _pulsed in pain with each step Zelda took. For the most part, she had been able to ignore then pain when they had been running yesterday, but today the pain came in full force.

Zelda went into the first line of trees of the forest around the camp. She walked up to a tree she decided to use as the bathroom last night and hiked. Once she'd relieved herself, Zelda started back towards camp. Then she saw the flash of black and paused. She lifted her nose, trying to catch wind of the air. There was no smell. She did see the black blob flash again, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was or where it was at any time. Zelda stood still, trying in vain to find it, with no luck. Eventually, she decided to ignore it and began to walk away. She could feel something watching her. Zelda spun around, her lips curling back in a snarl. Then she saw it.

It was in the shadows. The form it took looked that of a deer, but the edges of the animal continued to ripple and change. After a moment, the shadow animal disappeared. What was that? Zelda scanned around the area one last time, then turned and started for camp. Link was awake when Zelda walked towards their campsite. He already had a small fire stoking and was cooking something inside a pot. He smiled the moment he saw Zelda. "Good morning, Zelda," he greeted, stirring the pot with a twig. Then he changed form so he could understand her.

"_I saw something this morning, Link."_

"_What was it?"_ Link looked concerned.

Zelda explained what it looked like to her. Link tried to think, but he couldn't come up with anything that followed the shadow Zelda described. After a moment of silence, Link changed back to human to stir the pot again. When Zelda tried saying, _"What's for breakfast?"_ to Link, Link changed back to a wolf. Zelda repeated her question.

"_There's stew for breakfast. I had some salt-cured ham I brought with and thought to make it."_

"_Where do you plan to store the food?"_

"_Well, I was exploring last night after you had collapsed with exhaustion and found a secluded cave. It's nice and cool and also close to the palace."_

"_We're near the palace?"_ Zelda asked, surprised.

Link nodded.

"_Are you going to be heading there today?"_

"_I plan on going up there. I don't think I'll be able to bring you with."_

"_It couldn't hurt to try."_

"_The King might not be pleased. I don't even know if I'll be able to get into a meeting with him any time soon."_

_Z_elda gave a wolfish grin. _"Father will meet with you. At least, he will since you are the savior of Hyrule."_

Link nodded, then changed human again. He pulled the stew off the flames and pulled out two shallow bowls. He poured as much as he could fit into the bowls, then set the pot aside. He handed a bowl to Zelda. She gave a small lick to the warm stew. He didn't start on his food, but walked over and pulled off a bundle, which he proceeded to open and hand to Epona. Zelda hadn't realized it was some alfalfa on Epona's back. She began to eat the food happily.

Link walked back over to his bowl of stew, changed to a wolf, and proceeded to lap up his food. Zelda followed suit, thinking while she ate. Zelda didn't know if her father would believe Link that she had been changed into a wolf. She also didn't know if Link would be able to take her with. Castle Town had been different since the _Twili _had attacked. Father might try to kill her right away if Link took her into town. Maybe the best solution would be to send Link in alone…

"_Zelda?" _Link had quit eating and was observing Zelda with a look of concern on his wolf face.

"_Sorry, Link. I was just… accessing our situation."_

"_What do you think?"_

"_Let's talk to my Father first, and then see where to go from there. I can stay in the forest with Epona until you return."_

Link nodded his agreement, then said, _"I should probably head in soon."_

"_The sooner you go in, the better," _Zelda agreed.

Link hesitated. _"Are you sure you'll be all right?"_ he asked eventually.

Zelda nodded, smiling at Link. Link smiled in return, walked over to Zelda and gave her a lick. Zelda's tail wagged and she gave Link a lick as well. _"I should be back by sunset," _Link promised, nuzzling Zelda's neck. Zelda nodded. Suddenly feeling shy, Zelda stepped away from Link.

She said, _"Epona and I won't leave here."_

"_I'll make sure to ask your father about you coming to town also."_

Zelda nodded gratefully.

Then Link was gone.

_Link_

Castle Town was further than Link had originally thought. He ran for nearly an hour, jumping over logs and trotting through streams to get to Castle Town as fast as possible. After what seemed like forever, he broke out into the field at the entrance. Exhausted, but grateful, Link went back into the shelter of the trees to change form again. Once he was human, Link ran out of the trees and straight to the east gate of Castle Town. It was the entrance he had used many times and he still enjoyed using.

The town was bustling with life. People went about cheerfully and joyfully, walking, shopping or conversing in large numbers. It seemed no one had really noticed the stars disappearing. It was that or they didn't care. Either way, Link was relieved they weren't too worried.

A few people waved at Link, who waved in return, but he headed straight for the palace entrance. Hopefully he could get to the King easily. The King needed to be informed of what was going on. Link could only hope the King would believe him. If the King didn't, who knows what could happen to Zelda. Or him.

The guard at the gate greeted Link, then asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I need to meet with the King. It's very urgent."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"It's about Zelda."

"What's wrong with Zelda?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know a few days ago she wasn't feeling well, but Zelda is doing well now."

"Can I please enter?" Link was as confused as he could be. Zelda was far from fine. She wasn't even there right now.

The guard allowed Link to pass, though he seemed as confused as Link was. Link shrugged it off and continued into the palace. Many people traveled around the front grounds of the palace; squires, council members, astronomy drawers, and the guards. Many nodded to Link and he nodded in return as he passed. Then he continued in. A young woman with a clipboard came forward with a smile. She had auburn hair cut in a pixie style and wore brightly colored top, skirt, and knee high socks. She bowed.

"I'm Effie, how may I help you?"

"Is the King available at the time?"

Effie cocked her head to the side and said, "I'll check with him immediately. Who is trying to speak with him?"

"Tell him it's Link of Ordon."

A smile formed on Effie's face. "The King will meet with you in the throne room immediately. Let me just tell him you have arrived."

"…Don't you have to ask?"

"The King informed me if someone calling themselves Link of Ordon ever appeared, he would meet with that person instantly. Since that's you, the King won't even need asking. Ellie will take you there." Effie signalled for a girl with raven black hair in the corner of the main. The girl, Link assumed to be Ellie, walked forward. She gave a shy smile, her blue eyes shining. Effie explained to Ellie her task. Ellie nodded and signalled for Link to follow.

Effie leaned in to Link before he left. "Ellie is deaf, so if you need to ask her anything, tap her on the shoulder and say it very slowly. She can read lips."

Link nodded and continued on after Ellie. Ellie glanced back at Link, gave a smile, and continued to walk on ahead. Link was quick to catch up to her and then fell into step with her. She was silent, hardly registering Link's presence. She did smile at him when they entered the throne room and she bowed slightly as she walked out. Link smiled, nodding in return. Then Link was almost alone. He could feel a presence of some sort. But he had no idea what it was. He decided to ignore it. Then the door opened and the King entered.

The King wasn't alone either.

Someone walked in with him, looking exactly like Zelda.

_Zelda_

Zelda walked around the camp, bored out of her mind. Epona had gotten up and wandered a little ways off for food. Zelda couldn't go for food and she couldn't leave camp. If Epona needed her, Zelda had to be able to get there at a moment's notice. Zelda finally decided to run through the trees a little. She could still stay close to camp if she went around in circles. If she was lucky, maybe she could associate with someone in her situation.

Once Zelda started running, her mind cleared. She was able to actually enjoy herself. The wind blew against her flank, brushing back her fur. The trees flashed around her. She caught scent of so many different things; animals, trees, streams, people…

Zelda suddenly froze, her paws digging into a log she paused on. They sounded close, but Zelda picked up no sounds of humans. Could they be transformed animals? With that thought, Zelda picked up her pace, almost happily. She could find others like her… she wouldn't be completely alone… Wait, what was she thinking? She had Link.

A warm feeling flooded Zelda at the thought of Link. He was sweet and seemed to care about her…

All thoughts suddenly left Zelda. She had wandered quite far into the forest. In front of her, Zelda saw a bright spring. The spring had many waterfalls and seemed to glow. It seemed to glow with power… Zelda stepped forward toward the spring. She heard a snap of a twig and jumped to a fighting stance. A young pup, probably a wolf, stepped out of the tree line. The pup paused as soon as it saw Zelda.

"_Hello, little one," _Zelda said softly, hoping to coax it forward. Instead, the pup turned tail and ran. Zelda sighed and walked up to the edge of the pond. What seemed like fog suddenly began to swirl from the top of the water and reach out towards Zelda.

As soon as the fog tendril reached out to Zelda, she was plunged into utter darkness. Zelda went to yelp, but instead heard her own cry. Her human cry. What the…? She reached out and saw her hand. She was human again!

"_Princess Zelda."_

The voice was in her head. She looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Where are you?" Zelda called out. She was relieved to hear her voice again.

"_Magick has transformed you."_

"Yes, it had. I'm normal again."

"_You are not. For the time being, you are human, but once I bring you back to your present mind, you will be a wolf once more."_

"Who are you?"

"_My name is Amadahy."_

"What do you do?"

"_I was once part of the Goddesses Council. The Goddesses sent me here to help council the land as it was needed. Nayru lead me to you. She believes you need help."_

"What is it you have to offer?" Zelda hoped she sounded polite.

"_You wish to become human once more, do you not?" _At Zelda's nod, Amadahy continued, _"The Goddesses left gifts scattered across Hyrule. You must find these gifts. They will help you become human once more."_

"Where can we find them?"

"_The only information I have for you is this; everything can be found in the largest library of Hyrule. It is in a small leather bound book, which had been written ages ago by a man who had found and documents these gifts."_

"Are you talking about the library in my palace?" Amadahy agreed with the statement. "All right, thank you, Amadahy."

"_With the Goddesses blessings, I bid you-"_

Zelda interrupted before he had a chance to finish his sentence, "How can I contact you again if I need help?"

A bright light flooded the darkness around Zelda. Suddenly, she could see her; a beautiful pale woman with silver hair. Zelda knew instantly it was Amadahy. Amadahy smiled at Zelda and said, _"The Goddesses will lead me to you if they believe you need help."_

"Wait, what about the stars? What are we-?"

But everything had already begun to fade.

Zelda awoke in the middle of the field. She noted instantly that the spring was gone. With a sigh, Zelda moved. She could feel herself in the body of a wolf once more. Ignoring the feeling of longing to be in her original body, Zelda stood up and began to run back towards camp.

She found it easily. Epona was back there, but Link was not. Zelda, tired out by her run and confused by the meeting with Amadahy, sat down near Epona. _"Epona, please wake me up if Link returns or someone or something shows up at our camp," _Zelda said. When Epona agreed, Zelda closed her eyes and went to sleep.

_Link/Zelda_

When Link arrived at camp, he watched as Epona nudged Zelda awake. He had turned wolf as soon as he had left Castle Town. It was getting late, but he had made it in the time limit. Zelda looked bright, but also shaken. She could see something was wrong with Link the moment she saw him.

"_Link, what happened?"_

"_Can you promise me you're really Zelda?"_

_Z_elda was confused, but of course, she nodded. Link sighed and fell onto his side.

"_What went on?"_

"_There is someone in Castle Town, who is managing to pose as you perfectly."_

"…_W-what?"_

Link nodded. Zelda fell down. Link got up and resituated himself next to Zelda. _"I had asked the King to meet with him without the presence of the imposter, though obviously I didn't imply whoever it was wasn't you. The King agreed and sent the other one away. When he asked what was wrong, I explained to him the situation. He didn't believe me."_

"_He didn't?"_

"_It made sense,"_ Link admitted, _"There's so much more pointing to the other Zelda. Of course he wouldn't believe me. He did agree to keep an eye on you. I promised him I would try to fix the situation and also told him I was working on the Star situation too. I figured this situation ties in with the latter."_

"_I have information too," _Zelda interrupted. Then she proceeded to explain the situation with Amadahy.

Link had a gigantic grin on his face when Zelda was done explaining. _"We have information to start our quest, Zelda!"_

"_We just need to get access to the library in the palace."_

"_The King will allow it. He said I could go there if I ever needed to."_ Link gave a smile. _"You're able to come too, Zelda. I told the King I had a wolf companion."_

"_Then we'll head in tomorrow."_

Zelda grinned and nuzzled her face into Link's flank. Link curled his tail around Zelda, who rested comfortably against Link. _"Do you want some food?" _Zelda asked after a moment. _"You must be hungry."_

"_I am," _Link admitted.

"_You can show me the cave you told me about and then we can eat."_ They proceeded as they discussed and eventually ate food together. It was late at night when all three companions went to lay down. Zelda curled up against Link and rested her head against his side as they fell asleep together.

**~Author's Note~**

**Thank you for all of the reviews! It helped me write the story. Please, tell me all that you think.**

**Note:**

**Sapphiet: all of your questions about Zant and the Triforce he supposedly owns will be answered as the story unfolds.**

**Again, Thank you!**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Library

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Seven: The Library**

_Zelda_

Darkness.

Light.

A flash of black.

Lightning.

Zelda tried to walk forward, but was hit with a sharp pain. She fell back on her hunches, growling at the pain. Someone stepped forward. Snarling, Zelda tried to get to her paws, but it was futile. Lightning flashed, illuminating a wolf in front of her. It was Link. She tried to crawl forward, but found she was immobile. _"Link, get out of here!"_ she tried to say, but she was mute.

Then she saw the shadow step out of the trees. It looked almost exactly like Zant! Somehow, Zant managed to slip past Link unnoticed. It seemed Link wasn't watching out for Zelda. Then she saw him tip to one side and collapse to the ground. Blood poured from his wound. His eyes, unseeing, stared up at the sky.

He was already dead.

Zelda stared, the horror of the situation fully sinking in. Then she saw Zant come forward. And she screamed.

"_Zelda!"_

Zelda woke suddenly. Confused, Zelda saw Link next to her and immediately pressed her face into his flank. _"You're okay," _she breathed, her eyes closing.

"_It was only a nightmare, Zelda," _he coaxed softly.

"_It was worse than the other ones I'd had before." _Zelda shook her head and pulled away from Link. They were still curled up together from the night before.

"_Would you like to talk about it?"_

Zelda hesitated. _"That's all right. I don't need to talk."_

Link didn't want to leave the situation like that. But it was up to Zelda. So he nodded and said, _"If you ever need to, I'm here for you."_

"_Thanks, Link," _she said, grinning her wolfish grin. _"What time do you plan on heading to the Palace today?"_

Link shrugged. _"The library is gigantic. It could be ages before we find this book and we have no idea where to start looking for it. I wanted to head in as soon as possible."_

"_Let's eat something real quick and then we can get moving."_

Link nodded his agreement. He changed to a human and got Epona's food ready for her. She started eating it. Then Link walked to the small cave and grabbed the food for Zelda and himself. When he returned, he noticed there was company.

Link left the food behind a bush and morphed into a wolf. He trotted out from the trees. Zelda smiled at him when she saw him and introduced, _"And Sayin, this is Link. Link, Sayin."_

Sayin was a chipmunk. As were about five other animals around the stump Sayin was on. There also seemed to be a few ferrets and rabbits. Link bowed his head to the animals and walked up next to Zelda. Sayin said, _"Zelda said you were searching for the Goddess's gifts of Hyrule, but you don't know where to begin the search."_

Link nodded. _"There is one clue we have. We need to look in a large library of Hyrule."_

"_The largest right now would be in Castle Town," _Sayin said.

"_That's where we're heading today," _Link replied.

Sayin nodded. Suddenly, a ferret popped in by questioning, _"Who gave you this information?"_

"_We thought of it on our own,"_ Zelda lied, giving Link a look. He nodded, mostly to Zelda, but also to show his agreement. Sayin nodded thoughtfully.

He turned to the rest of the animals with him. _"Let's leave these two be. They have a lot to do," _Sayin said. As one, all the animals began to disappear to the trees. Once they were far enough out of sight, Zelda plopped down on the ground with a large sigh. Link gave her a confused look, but he trotted over to the _Master Sword._ He turned human long enough to grab the food and distribute it between Zelda and himself. He changed wolf and asked Zelda if she wanted her food heated. Zelda shook her head and walked up to the bowl with her food. They both started eating quickly. Everyone was quiet while they ate. When everyone finished, the three companions discussed what the plan was.

"_Well, the King is aware of the fact Epona is with me. He said he'd have a stable set up for her. He also said you could come into the library, but the moment you're a distractions, he wanted to be able to put you in the kennel," _Link explained.

Zelda nodded. _"How exactly am I supposed to help look anyway? And where are we going to start searching?"_

"_Well, I know there's the small leather-bound book, but I don't think that's the only one that holds the key to all the information. There has to be other documentations somewhere and I want to find them. I figured you could be reading the early age history books and I was planning to search through every leather book there was in the library until we found the right one," _Link said.

For a moment, Zelda was quiet, thinking, then commented, _"It doesn't make sense though. I've never heard of these 'gifts' in any history book and trust me; I've read through just about all of them."_

"_I've never heard of these either, Zelda,"_ Link sighed, letting his behind fall on the ground. _"But whenever the Goddesses send someone as a messenger, you can't ignore it. Besides, maybe we didn't know where to look. Now that we have the information, we could find it easily now."_

After a moment, Zelda nodded. _"Let's get moving then."_ Link turned himself back into a human and got Epona ready. He strapped the _Master Sword _to his side and then swung up onto Epona's saddle. Then all three started towards Castle Town. It wasn't too long of a journey, but it took a while to actually get there. When they arrived, Link dismounted from Epona and told Zelda to keep close to him. Then Link took hold of Epona's reigns and together the three walked into Castle Town.

Epona was dropped off first at the stables. Thankfully, the stables weren't too far from the entrance. The man gave Zelda a nervous look when he took Epona, but he didn't say anything. Zelda was quiet, standing right next to Link. She was nervous around all the humans, but she managed to keep calm. All they had to do was get to the library and Zelda could relax. Unless of course all the astronomers were in the library. In that case, Zelda would be this nervous all day long. She could only hope that wouldn't happen.

When they arrived at the palace, it all seemed very familiar to Zelda. She looked around, taking in all the sites with new eyes. She saw things she'd never seen before. Smelled things that she never knew were there. It was amazing. Link watched Zelda from the corner of his eye, smiling slightly when he saw how happy she looked. Then they walked into the entrance.

Link noticed it was a different door greeter. She was less colorful with longer hair. She bowed, introduced herself as Lilia, and asked, clipboard in hand, "What are you here for?"

"The King said I was allowed into the library at any time," Link told her, "We're here to go to the library."

She nodded. "You must be Link of Ordon then. I'll have Eliza escort you there right away." She signalled to a young woman, who wore a similar outfit to Lilia.

She came over right away and asked Lilia, "Where is he going?"

"To the library," Lilia said.

Eliza looked over at Zelda, and then said to Link softly, "I'm sorry, sir, but pets aren't allowed-"

"The King gave me permission to bring her with," Link told Eliza. Eliza looked at Lilia, who nodded.

"Now take them there," Lilia said, and then walked off to greet the next person who walked in. Eliza signalled to Link and Zelda and all three started walking to the library. Eliza asked Link, "Do you know the rules of the library?"

"I haven't been here before," Link told her.

She nodded. "The rules are simple. There's no eating or drinking, obviously. No books are to be removed from the library. It closes at ten and under no circumstances are you allowed to touch the forbidden books. Only the King himself and Princess Zelda are allowed there. The books are far too old to be handled by peasants, no offenses meant," she added hastily. Zelda gave her a mean look, to which the girl jumped and picked up the pace. They started up some stairs to the next level. Zelda bounded up the stairs, to which Link whistled to her to stop. It seemed she could understand what Link wanted through his whistling. She'd have to tell him later.

She sat down on the top of the stairs while Eliza and Link climbed the last of the stairs. "We're almost there," Eliza said. They walked to the end of the hall. There was a large set of doors. Eliza stopped and smiled at Link. "Enjoy Hyrule's largest library!"

Link bowed slightly. Zelda just huffed and looked at Link to open the door. Link smiled at Zelda and took hold of one of the handles. Then he opened the door with ease. Inside, was rows upon rows of books, set up like a maze. There was even a map for Link to look at when he walked in. They had ones he could take with that would help show him around. He took one, although Zelda started walking right through the bookshelves. He followed after her.

Zelda walked Link right to the history books. A lot of them were leather-bound too, ironically. Link sighed and pulled out a rather large leather-bound book. It was labeled, _'Hyrule: A History Volume One'. _"I guess I better start reading," Link said to Zelda. Zelda gave him an impatient look, to one in which he frowned. She pushed her nose against one of the books on the lower shelves. It was small book, about the ancient history of Hyrule. Link nodded, grabbing the book also. Zelda pointed towards a cushiony area near the windows and her and Link walked over there. Link settled down onto one of the cushions and set the book Zelda wanted to the side. She gave an impatient huff and glared at Link.

Link frowned again. Zelda growled slightly at Link and plopped down next to Link, trying to drag the book over with her paw. He blinked, surprised, but set the book in front of Zelda. She looked up at him with an expectant look. He grinned. She probably needed the book opened for her. So he did that. Zelda seemed to smile at him and got up enough to lick him on his face. He laughed quietly and told her, "That's enough. Let's get reading." In response, Zelda looked down at the book between her paws. Surprisingly, she seemed to be able to read.

Link turned to his book and opened it to the first page.

_This is the documentation written by Gaelan _Blàrach_._

_Entry: The Beginning _

_The Colony has been traveling for weeks. The land seems rough, the brush built-up to large proportions, but the goddesses have led us here. This is where we're to settle. Everyone seems excited…_

It seemed the beginning documentations were journal entries. But Link was intrigued. He never heard about the Colony. He continued to read.

Zelda's was just as intriguing. This woman, a loner, had traveled far to stumble upon the land. It was rich with Magick. She wrote only of the entire journey, not like a journal at all. Zelda was hoping she could find something about the gifts in this book. To both of their displeasure, neither discovered anything about the gifts, despite the good stories. So Link and Zelda started on new books. Link started volume two of _Hyrule: A History. _Zelda got another book about ancient history.

Both compared their stories after they finished the next book. It turned out the loner woman and the man from Link's book met up together in the second volume. In Zelda's book, she learned more about the previous history than when the woman wrote her story. It talked more about ancient springs and hidden lands. There was even talk of a hidden library.

That book seemed a little more helpful, so she tried to tell Link so. When he didn't seem to be able to understand, she got up, grabbed hold of the crystal around his neck, pulled it off and touched it to his hand. Instantly he morphed. Thankfully, he had his _Master Sword _hidden in a bag beside him.

"_What is it Zelda?" _Link asked, already nudging around to open his bag.

"_This book is helpful. Can you slip it into your bag so we can take it?" _Zelda asked.

"_We can't. The rules-"_

"_Princess Zelda gives you permission to." _Link grinned.

"_I wish that was enough, but we'd need permission from the other Zelda-" _Link started.

"_I'll tell them when I'm human again that I gave you permission,"_ Zelda told Link. _"But I think this book could help with this quest. There's maps and everything. It even tells you about the old sites that people used to live in. It's amazing."_

Link hesitated, thinking. Would it be all right, if it would help Hyrule? After another moment of thinking, Link said, _"Let me talk with the King first. He might allow it. Otherwise, I'll have to sneak it out."_

With that, Link turned human once again. He got up to ask for a messenger to send a message for the King, when suddenly the King appeared out of nowhere. He smiled at Link and asked, "How is the research going?" He glanced at Zelda too, who was up on her feet, alert and staring at the King. The King looked like he was getting nervous, so Link whistled at Zelda. She lowered her ears and tail and walked in circles temporarily to curl up on the ground. She still watched the King with yellow eyes.

Link smiled apologetically at the King. "Actually, I wanted to ask for a favor. This quest I need to go on requires finding extremely old areas and I found a book that explained a lot of these areas-"

"You want to be able to take the book with?" he sighed.

Link nodded, adding, "It would be a big help."

"I'm afraid I can't. As much as I would love to help, I'm not able to allow books leave, no matter who it is that wants the books. We've already lost so many because people were careless. I'm terribly sorry."

Link nodded. "That's all right. Well, I need to get back to searching. I don't know how much longer we'll be here for so…"

The king nodded, seeming to understand. "I'll leave you to your research then."

Link bowed his head and walked back to the shelves, four books in hand. Once he returned three of the books and grabbed a few more, Link returned to Zelda. Zelda noted the book he brought back and grinned wolfishly. Link grinned back and opened another book to read.

They did this until late into the day when the sun was beginning to set. Link got up and stretched. "Well, we better get going," he told Zelda. Zelda nodded and got onto her feet. She stretched out while Link returned the books back to the shelves. They didn't find anything about the gifts of Hyrule. So they would have to come back tomorrow. They left in a hurry to get Epona, who seemed extremely well rested and well fed. Link got onto her back and Zelda walked beside them. Epona and Zelda seemed to be chatting away, which Link didn't really mind.

It wasn't long before they were back to camp. Both Link and Zelda were starving, so Link took out what was left of the stew and he and Zelda just ate from the pot as wolves. Epona just lay on the ground, declining any alfalfa. Once Link and Zelda were done eating, they both lay on the ground with full bellies. Link turned human long enough to place the horse blanket over Epona and then changed to wolf. It was a chilly night, so Link and Zelda curled up together and fell asleep.

_Link_

Morning came not too soon. Link woke up before the sun had risen and slipped away from Zelda silently, luckily not disturbing her. He walked over to the first tree that was somewhat concealed and hiked on it. Once he had relieved himself, he walked back over and touched the _Master Sword_, changing to a human instantly. Epona was the only one to notice. He slipped a leather sac over his shoulder and strapped the sheath of the _Master Sword_ to his side. Before he slipped the sword into its sheath, he turned wolf and explained to Epona, _"We're low on food so I'm going to go find some for Zelda and I. I'm sure I can find some alfalfa while I'm out there too."_

Epona nodded and rested her head down again. Link changed human and put the _Master Sword _into its sheath. He started into the forest quietly. He figured he could catch something while he was out with his sword. The only thing was the guilt he would feel afterwards. Knowing that these animals could speak and talk and think, Link felt bad for killing them. But they needed something to eat. _'Maybe,'_ he thought, _'I could just bring back some berries, nuts, and roots. We could go to Telma's bar for breakfast.' _Happy with what he came up with, Link looked more for the non-meat products. He found several trees with edible roots and a few roots that made wonderful medicine for healing. Maybe it could help Zelda's front leg, which he noticed she was limping on more and more. Link should probably get a vet too, when he went to Castle Town.

While Link was in thought, he stumbled up a large bush of berries. They looked to be just perfect. So he pulled out a small leather pouch and picked the berries, popping a few into his mouth. He made sure to keep track so he could give Zelda the extra berries. Once the pouch was filled, he tied the strings and tied the small bag onto the outside of his pouch, giving a better chance of less berries being crushed. Just as he was stepping away from the bush, he found a patch of trees with Red Haven peaches. They looked extremely ripe. There were even a few that had fallen to the ground.

He took off the small black berry pouch and slung his larger pack over his shoulder. Then Link proceeded to climb the tree. It wasn't too long before half the pack was filled with ripe peaches. Link started eating one when he began walking again. It was delicious, the juice lightly dribbling down his chin. He found one last patch of red raspberries and picked whatever he could fit into the last of his pack, ate a few berries himself, and started back for camp.

_Zelda/Link_

Just as he walked into camp, Zelda was stretching out. He watched the beautiful she-wolf with a smile and set the bags down. Instantly, she was alert, but she relaxed instantly the moment she saw it was Link. He turned wolf after setting the _Master Sword _and its sheath against a tree trunk. Then he morphed to wolf.

"_Where have you been at? Epona was just telling me you'd been gone for quite a while," _Zelda said.

Link grinned wolfishly and replied, "_I found us a bunch of berries and fruits for breakfast. I figured we could get something more at Telma's bar."_

Zelda nodded her agreement. Link quickly turned human and pulled out to dishes for everyone. Then he proceeded to divide the food in thirds. He knew Epona would love some fruits too and figured she was fed whenever she was in the stables. She even told him in her own way how much she wanted, though it wasn't a whole lot. She must have been pretty full yesterday.

He removed all of the pits in the peaches, broke open some of the nuts, which were actually quite good, and divided the raspberries and black berries. He made sure to add the extras to Zelda's and Epona's dishes. Then they all dived in. Link decided to stay human to eat breakfast, relishing in the delicious flavor.

Zelda watched Link, slightly jealousy. The fruits themselves were wonderful, but she could tell there was a difference when you were human. Link just proved it. So she leaned down and ate a chunk of peach. The juice went everywhere, even dripping from out between her jaws into her fur. Instantly, as if it were some animal instinct, she began to lap at the juice-soaked fur.

She looked over at Link, when he burst out laughing. Zelda growled at him slightly, but continued to lick at her fur. After a moment, Link decided and changed wolf too. He asked Zelda, "_What was it you ate?"_

"_A piece of peach," _she replied, finally getting the last of the juice out of her muzzle fur. Link nodded and took a piece of peach. The same thing happened to him and he did everything that Zelda did. She let off a barking laugh, which to either a human or prey would scare the crap out of them. To a wolf, it was just a laughter. And Zelda's was certainly beautiful. To a wolf, it was musical and bright.

He just smiled at Zelda and continued his own licking. Zelda decided to start again. Within minutes, the two were laughing with each other. Epona was the one to interrupt their fun, informing them that the sun was getting higher into the air. Instantly, the two finished eating. Then they started getting ready. There was enough fruit for dinner that night and Link figured they could get a little extra food in town too. So when Link had everything gathered, he got Epona ready for another ride and then they started back for Castle Town.

When they arrived in town, Link once again dropped off Epona and consulted Zelda about food. She didn't seem hungry, so they decided to head back for the Palace. Effie and Ellie were there that day, so they escorted Link and Zelda to the library, although this time it was Effie because Ellie was terrified of Zelda. Link could tell Zelda's disappointment in this and patted her head. She looked up and gave Link a wolfish smile, bringing back her lips. It looked like a snarl, but Link knew better. He just grinned in returned. Then they were at the library. Nothing seemed out of place. There were a few more people than yesterday, but Zelda seemed to be more comfortable. Today they would make sure to keep track of time and eat something. Link would want to check on Epona too, to make sure she was doing well. Zelda seemed satisfied with this also.

Zelda led Link right back to the shelves. Link started in on the volumes he had been looking at yesterday. Zelda wanted to read more about the ancient land. They settled back down in the cushions they'd been at yesterday. Link opened Zelda's book, and then started in on his own.

Throughout the whole morning, they didn't find much for information at all. Zelda was getting frustrated, but Link told her they'd find something soon. His reassurance made her feel just a little bit better. So they kept looking. Link really seemed intrigued with the journals he was reading. It wasn't long before Zelda was tired of her books. So Link offered her his books and took hers in return. She was grateful and much more intrigued with the journals. She was surprised she hadn't read them before. Link found the ancient history just as intriguing as the journals.

About eleven, Zelda nudged Link. He looked over at her. She pawed him and pointed at the sun. When Link noticed what time it was, he was up and saying, "I was just getting hungry myself. Let's go get some food." Zelda jumped to her feet, looking happy and excited. Link grinned. Then they walked out of the library. He told Effie they were going to lunch, but that they would be back. She nodded, but didn't say anything as another person walked in to be escorted somewhere. Link and Zelda headed into Castle Town's bustling areas.

Link led Zelda to Telma's bar, but Zelda seemed to know where she was going. It would make sense, considering Zelda lived in Castle Town. When they entered the bar, Telma greeted Link warmly. "Who's that there?" she asked, motioning to Zelda. Zelda just looked at Link, expectantly. Link looked back at her, who nodded. They had talked last night about what they should do if someone asked who she was.

"She's a companion of mine. I found her and she won't leave my side," Link said.

Telma nodded thoughtfully. "So what are you here for? I didn't think you'd be back in Castle Town so soon."

"I'm here in your bar for some food. Would it be possible for her to get some too?" Link asked.

"Sure, if she's not too picky. What would you like?" After Link had ordered for Zelda and him, Telma asked about his business in Castle Town.

Link hesitated. "I got a new sign for a quest. It's similar to my last one."

Telma nodded. "What exactly?"

"We're trying to figure out exactly about these things called 'Gifts of Hyrule'," Link told her.

"Well, I don't have much information myself, but I do know someone who might."

Link frowned. "Who would that be?"

"Don't you remember Shad?"

It dawned on Link. He was the scholar. Shad would be a perfect reference. "Where would he be?" Link asked.

"Actually, as it is, he's right over there. Hey, Shad!" Telma called.

"Oh, no, you don't have to-" Link started, but Shad was over at the bar in a second. He glanced at Zelda, then looked back over at her again, and took a good look at her.

He looked back at Link with a nod and asked, "What are you doing here again?"

Telma chuckled. "He could use a scholar right now, Shad. Link, explain to him what you told me."

Link told Shad what was happening. It was a very vague explanation, but Shad seemed extremely intrigued of Link's small explanation. "Who told you of these 'Gifts'?" Shad asked. Link hesitated. Zelda nudged his foot with her nose and gave him a long look when he glanced at her. He could read her expression; she wanted him to tell Shad about Amadahy.

Telma had traveled away from their side of the bar. So Link took a deep breath. "What do you know about the name Amadahy?" he asked.

Shad didn't seem surprised. "I've only read about one Amadahy. She was a Spirit woman and part of the Council of Goddesses. In fact, there had originally been three. Amadahy, Miakoda, and Zyanya or they were better known as the Beginning, Present, and End. Each council member was closely related to one of the Goddesses. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but in the history books, there had been a dispute between members and so they were sent to the Land into ancient springs. With the Goddesses' council members in a spring, those springs moved. No one can pinpoint them exactly. There have been a few cases reported where they stumbled upon the springs and one of the members spoke to them." He paused. "Why do you ask?"

Link explained the meeting with Amadahy. Shad did seem slightly surprised then. "Is that why you're here? She told you about these gifts?"

Link nodded. Then asked, "Where did you get this information?"

"There's a hidden area in the library very few scholars get to study in and I happened to be one of the few the King decided. We're allowed there even now."

"Would you be able to bring me there?" Link questioned, getting excited. This was exactly what they needed.

Shad nodded. "I might be able to. Do you need a lot of information?" Link nodded. "I'll be back in one moment," Shad said and scurried off. When he returned, he held a leather-bound book in his hand and handed it to Link, along with what looked like a quill.

"What's this for?" Link asked.

"Not many people have access to notebooks and quills. You seem like you could use it to write down notes. This is the largest book I have to offer."

"Oh, we don't need it," Link started, but Shad shook his head.

"I insist," he said. "If you would like, we can meet up here around four sharp, have an early dinner, and then I can escort you to the part of the library I was telling you about."

"That would be great," Link said, hesitantly putting the notebook and quill in his pouch. Telma brought over Link's and Zelda's food at that time. She put Zelda's food in front of her on the floor and then walked back behind the bar. Link started in on his food, while Zelda hesitantly sniffed at hers. After a moment, she tried a piece. It was delicious. Zelda started scarfing hers down. Link enjoyed his food thoroughly too. It was wonderful. Shad left as soon as the food was brought over.

They left soon after Link paid and went back to the library. Effie didn't need to escort them this time. Zelda continued into the journals, while Link kept scanning through the ancient history. But he found he wasn't as interested in the books. Link really wanted to get to the other part of the library they didn't have access to. If they could find all the information they needed there, what was the point reading these books?

He guessed there was some point to it. The ancient books had many maps of Hyrule before all the buildings came in. For the most part, there were a lot of old buildings they could probably hunt down. But it seemed a lot of these were in the deepest recesses of the forest, at the edge of Hyrule. In the books, it was said to be abandoned a little while after they discovered the part of Hyrule Link, Zelda, and the rest of the people lived in now. Link really thought these books would be useful. There weren't many of them either, so he planned to take them later the night. Zelda had said it would be all right. He hoped he wouldn't be in too much trouble later on.

Around three forty-five, they decided to leave again. Link only planned to return again after he saw the hidden part of the library. Zelda seemed to agree. They walked back to Telma's bar, where Shad was already ready. He even had dinner ordered. So they all settled to eat, Link across from Shad and Zelda on the floor next to Link. Shad watched Zelda with interest.

After a few moments, Link said, "Is there something about my companion you're curious about?"

Shad cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes. She seems… very different. The designs in her white fur and of course the extra tails…"

Link nodded. "I don't know much about her, unfortunately."

"Well, I've seen designs similar. They were documented when those creatures you said were called _Twili _were here. People, scholars specifically, had documented all about them when they were around. Her designs are exactly like one we have sketched up. Those aren't available yet to the library, but…" Shad fell silent, watching Zelda. She seemed nervous though, with his eyes on her.

Link brought Shad's attention away from Zelda. "I believe she was changed by the _Twili._ I believe she's human."

Shad nodded. "She does have a human quality to her."

"That's what I believe," Link agreed. Zelda looked up at him and finished licking at her plate.

After Link and Shad finished eating, Shad telling Link a little more about the history of the Council of the Goddesses, they pushed back their chairs and got ready to leave. Link paid for dinner, as payment for the notebook. Then they started for the library again. Shad led him to the front desk, where he told the man his identity and informed him where he was going. The man nodded, eying Zelda and Link closely, but he allowed them all to pass. Shad led them past the desk to a door. When he pushed it open, there was a hallway. They closed the door, grabbed a few lit torches and walked to the end to another door. Shad put his torch to one side of the door. Link did the same. Then Shad pushed open the door and they walked in.

It wasn't huge. But it wasn't small either. You could tell the documents were old. There were few windows and Shad explained the lighting affected the book print. Currently, there were several scholars copying down the books before the print faded. They had lanterns lit, holding the fire in, but they were always blown out whenever someone left. Link walked over to one of the shelves and pulled down one book. It felt worn and extremely old. The book even had a musty smell. The good thing; it was about ancient Hyrule. More precisely, it was about the ancient, ancient Hyrule history.

Link looked over at Shad. "Is there any you suggest?"

Shad nodded. "There are several about the goddesses and the land they created. I don't know if you'll find any information about those gifts you were talking about, but it might help some. I'll go get them." Link nodded, opening the book he had in his hand carefully. The information was far more helpful than the stuff on the shelves. It talked about the original inhabitants, who called themselves the Celtic and Native Americans. Link had never heard of them, nor had he seen any of them. When Shad returned with a few books, Link asked him about them. He explained they were all the original ancestors. Link was so intrigued with this, he actually had to go and take out the notebook he had. There were so many important facts they needed to know for their quest. Link hoped he could get it all written down.

Shad had a stack of books for Link to look through when Link finished the book he had in hand. It took far longer to read than usual, only because there were so many notes. He filled about six pages, back to back. Shad grinned when he saw Link finish writing down a last note. "Pretty intriguing stuff, isn't it?'

Link nodded. "Is this why you became a scholar?"

"In fact it is." Shad had finished sorting some piles of books. He looked back at Link and told him, "All right, I have about ten books in all. There are four piles, one of the Goddesses, but all three books written in a different language. It's your luck I can read it. I'll translate it for you overnight. It won't take too long and besides it's a job I was already assigned. The other two piles had already been translated. It's more specific about the Celtics and the land and buildings they created. There are two books in that pile. The other pile is about the Native Americans and their history. They did, in fact, have a lot of help with the creating of Hyrule itself. The last pile is one book when the Celtics and Native Americans were together as one group. It's the most intriguing and I suggest reading that book first."

Link nodded, but told him, "I'm going to read about just the Goddesses, then the Celtics, Native Americans, and finally both. I need to fully grasp everything."

Shad nodded, seeming impressed. "They're not too long, so you shouldn't have much of a problem reading them quickly. It'll probably take about two days for one person."

"How long will it be before the other two books are translated?" Link asked.

"I'll have them done tonight. The handwriting in those books are so big, the books themselves are quite small. There isn't much information about the Goddesses," Shad explained.

"Will we be able to come back tomorrow?"

"Of course you will." Link nodded, asked for the book about the Goddesses that was in the Hylian language, and started reading that. Within minutes, he was back to scribbling down notes. When he could discreetly, Link passed a book down to Zelda. Shad didn't notice. He sat across from Link, hunched over the book he was translating and the new book he was writing down in the Hylian language.

It was quiet for the most part and peaceful. Zelda would paw Link when she was done with one book to get another one. They were getting through the books fast. Link knew Zelda would tell him about all the information she learned too that night. She had an amazing memory too. Zelda could just about memorize the books after reading them once. So they'd share the language and Link could write down important notes too. He made sure to make a small list which books she read.

Before long, it was almost dark out. Link looked outside, surprised, when Shad mentioned it. He decided to leave, so they could go get Epona. She had seemed to be doing pretty good though, when they'd visited her earlier that afternoon. He hoped she wasn't too bored.

Link was right when they got there. She wasn't bored. In fact, she was extremely happy, talking to this stallion beside her stall. He was there most of the time. Zelda even told Link, when quickly changed wolf, that Epona suggested staying the night in Castle Town. After a final assurance it was okay, Link decided it would be all right. He had about four books left to read in the pile, besides the ones needing translations, so Link thought it would be good to research more. Zelda even told him she had a house a little ways in Castle Town that she stayed in sometimes. They could crash there for the night.

So they headed back to the library and were able to get back into the back room without Shad. He didn't comment much when they returned. Zelda and Link both read one more books. By the time they finished those, Zelda was basically falling asleep and Link was yawning often. It was late at night. Link decided it was time to head to Zelda's home. Telma's bar was still open, so they made a quick stop for a snack both were craving. Ironically Zelda's home wasn't far from there.

It was a nice, spacious home and very homey and warm. He started a fire in the fireplace and then changed wolf.

Zelda grinned at wolf Link. Link grinned back. _"So what had you learned today?" _Link asked.

Zelda seemed excited. _"Those books have a lot of information. I can tell you a little, but I'm pretty exhausted."_

"_Well then, let's just go to bed. We can talk about it in the morning."_

"_I'll be okay-"_

"_Where am I allowed to sleep?" _Link asked her.

"_You can stay in my bed. It's the only one I have. It's just up there. I should be able to jump up there, if you want me sleeping beside you that is," _she said.

"_That's great. You wouldn't mind if I was human, would you? I don't sleep as well when I'm in wolf form."_

"_That's more than fine," _Zelda told him. He grinned and changed human. After making sure to keep the fire controlled, Link and Zelda climbed up to Zelda's sleeping corner. Link climbed into bed and Zelda hopped in after them. Once they were both comfortable, they fell quickly asleep.

#

#

They woke up early in the morning again. Zelda had a little food in the home, so they made some breakfast instead of buying some food. While they ate, Zelda told Link about the information she had. Link had to change from wolf and human often until midmorning. By then, they'd gone through all the information Zelda had to offer. Link decided to make a stop for Epona and took her for a little run before heading back to the library. Shad was there and informed Link he had the books translated. Link started reading those first, while Zelda started reading the last book about the Native Americans. Link had finished the books about the Celtics already.

By midmorning, they had a lot of information. Unfortunately, it wasn't any precise information about the gifts, but it was possible leads to them. Link hoped they could find something solid in the last two books. There were the last book about both the Celtics and Native Americans and also the last book about the Goddesses. Zelda decided to take the Goddess book. So Link started into the book. Unfortunately, by the time Link almost finished the book, he fell asleep. Zelda had nodded off after she finished the last book. Luckily, the sleep seemed to help Link. For when he woke up, he knew. He woke Zelda and changed wolf.

He told her, _"We're at the wrong library."_

Zelda frowned. _"How are we at the wrong library? Amadahy told me we had to go to the largest library in Hyrule."_

"_But did she specifically say it was in current Hyrule." _Zelda looked confused. Link explained, _"We've been so busy looking through all the ancient history. And the last book I read told me something. I didn't think about it, until I had a dream."_

"_What was the dream about?"_

"_There's an ancient library. That's where we have to go."_

"_There's an ancient library?"_

"_Yes. It's in the deepest part of Hyrule that's been abandoned. The Celtics and Native Americans built the library together and filled it with information about the ancient Hyrule we haven't even read about. Actually, let's get out of here. I can't have someone discovering me in wolf form."_ The two decided to leave, since they no longer needed to library. Link decided to get Epona and they headed back to their campsite.

Epona seemed just as intrigued when Link started telling Zelda about the history.

"_See, when the library was first built, the two Clans decided on a few members for a council to protect the library. There were many ancient scripts and tablets they didn't want destroyed. These council members hosted Magick in the blood, though I'm not completely sure what that means. Either way, about three years after the library was created, the two clans got into a war. The council decided to hide the library when the war started. None of the council members had any opinion of what was going on with the war. Unfortunately, all the council members were wiped out before the library was unhidden. Only things of Magick can show the library."_

"_So then, how are we supposed to find this library?" _Zelda asked. _"We don't have Magick-"_

"_But we both do. I read about your Triforce when I was looking at the documents of the Goddesses. It has lingering Magick. And my Master Sword has some also. I really believe we can open the library!"_

"_And you're positive we can get there and open the library?"_

"_Yes."_

Zelda looked at Link for several quiet moments. Then her lips pulled back in a smile. _"Let's go to the library."_

**~Author'****s Note~**_  
_

**I'm terribly sorry for the extremely long update. I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Thank you for reading!  
**

**Review!  
**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX  
**


	9. Chapter 8: Silence

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Eight: Silence**

_Link/Zelda_

Link and Zelda decided it would be best to stay in the forest for that night. Link could tell Zelda was longing to stay in the forest with all the fresh air and less noise and Link had to agree with her. He missed the solitude almost as much as she did. Animals were far less noisy than humans.

Once Link and Zelda had finished discussing the history of Ancient Hyrule, they got ready for dinner. There were a few pieces left of each fruit and nuts Link had gathered and a little soup left. Link started a fire before he got together all the food. Epona declined anything to eat since she was still full from earlier. So Link morphed and both Zelda and he dug into the food. Link took some of the fruits over to Epona in case she changed her mind.

Then they sat around the fire again to discuss the plan for tomorrow.

"_I'm thinking Epona should stay at Castle Town while we go," _Link said. Zelda and Epona both gave him skeptical looks.

"_Wouldn't it be better for her to come along?" _Zelda asked with a frown.

"_I think I should go with," _Epona added.

Link shook his head. _"The problem is the bridge to _Ancient Hyrule_ was destroyed during the war by flaming boulders. I don't think there will be anything left large enough for Epona to walk on. We don't even know if Zelda and I will be able to cross over and I can't leave you alone in the forest."_

After a moment of thought, Zelda had to agree. Eventually, Epona agreed too. Link had a feeling she wasn't putting up much of a fight. She must have really liked that stallion from earlier. Epona decided to doze off while Link and Zelda discussed the final plans for the morning.

Link and Zelda curled up close together by the burnt embers of the fire and fell asleep too.

_Zant_

The power of the _Dark Cloud _was getting easier and easier to control. He had been working with the power nearly every second since he had first harnessed its power.

It had been the day the "storm" had raged throughout all of Hyrule. It wasn't actually a storm. It had been the _Dark Cloud_. He had opened the pendant he'd discovered in an abandoned temple. A black smoke started to flood out of the pendant. It had only spoken one word. Doom.

Most of the smoke dispersed suddenly, but a small amount began to swirl around his left hand. The power of the _Triforce _began to pulse. Zant snatched his hand away instantly, but the black smoke advanced, whispering the word, _"Master"._

Suddenly, the sky of Hyrule began to darken. Zant looked up at the clouds, and then back at the black smoke swirling around his hand.

"Is this the work of your power?" Zant asked it.

"_Yes, Master," _it hissed.

Zant thought for a moment. Then he started walking towards Castle Town. With what little power of _Twilight _he had left, he cloaked himself into the shadows. In that instant, it began to rain. Zant spoke to the smoke again. "What is your name?"

"_I am the Dark One, Master,"_ it said, focusing solely around Zant's left hand. It paused momentarily to create a dark shield around Zant to protect him from the rain. Zant started up the stairs to the Palace. Suddenly, the storm picked up. The wind nearly knocked Zant off his feet. The _Dark One _was the one that stabilized him.

"Do you have any way to change my appearance?" Zant asked the _Dark One._

"_Yesssss," _it hissed. _"But my power is stretched because of this storm. If you want to change appearances, you must get the _Dark Cloud _under control."_

"I didn't do this."

"_Releasing the power means you must control it. Figure it out."_

Zant slipped into the Palace. People were running around frantically, trying to get to safety. He slipped into a hall unnoticed. Zant came to a stop and looked at the pendant in his hand. He searched the pendant with the power of his Triforce. The information came to him easily and he focused on the cloud. It felt as if he were part of the cloud. He could sense its intent. Acidic rain and destructive rain. The cloud felt amazing. But he couldn't let it destroy this land. His plans for this land were far better. So he rewrote the cloud's plan. The wind stayed strong, but the acidic rain was just rain. The storm would be gone within a few hours.

The _Dark One _purred in approval. _"What is your plan now, Master?"_

Before Zant had a chance to start his plan, he heard sudden shouts of many townsfolk. He saw a pure white figure dash by. He could feel the power of the _Twilight _pulsing as Zelda, now in wolf form, passed by. Perfect.

Zant closed his eyes and pictured who he wanted to be. Then, with the power of the Triforce, Zant recreated his figure. Then he started for the mob of townsfolk just around the corner. It seemed Zelda had escaped. Quickly, Zant called the townspeople's attention and directed them to the basement. Everyone shuffled in, thanking Zant and calling him Zelda. He just grinned and went along with it

Since then, things had mostly been going smoothly. There was that point the boy, Link, had come to talk with the King and tell him "Zelda" was an imposter. When the King came to talk to Zant, Zant pushed his concerns away and went along with whatever the King said. He was so easy to fool.

Now, Zant had to take care of Link and Princess Zelda. He whispered to the _Dark One, _"Go chase after the Savior and Princess Zelda."

The Dark Cloud began to collect into a shadow of a deer and, silently, slipped away.

_Link/Zelda_

Zelda woke with a start during the night. She snapped to attention instantly, scanning the trees and shadows for a figure. She could feel someone watching. Quietly, she tried to get to her feet without waking Link or Epona, but Epona was on her feet the instant Zelda took a step and Link sleepily raised his head a moment later.

"_What's the matter, Zelda?" _Link asked. He yawned a moment later and blinked sleepily.

"_...It's nothing,"_ Zelda said after a moment, plopping back down on the ground. _"I just thought I heard something."_

"_We can check it out-" _Link started, but Zelda cut him off.

"_It was nothing. I'm just overly paranoid."_

"_I'll go check it out,"_ Link said, suddenly sounding more awake. Then all three of them heard the whispering. It was like paper on paper, a sound so soft a normal human wouldn't have heard it. But wolves could. Link was on his feet in an instant and walked up next to Zelda.

"_Where do you think it's coming from?" _Zelda asked quietly. Then, suddenly..._BANG!_

Everyone was crouched in an instant, all wolf and horse instincts on high alert.

"_Let's get out of here," _Epona whinnied.

The wolves nodded. Link said to Zelda, _"Go ahead of Epona. I'll be behind her." _Zelda agreed and started walking. Epona went after her and Link followed close by.

They walked and trotted until they arrived at Castle Town's entrance. By then, it was nearing morning.

"_We won't be able to get to the stables until later into the day. Let's just stay out here for now," _Link said, then stretched out and let off a yawn.

"_You two should rest. I'll keep a watch for you," _Epona told Link and Zelda. The two looked at each other and reluctantly agreed. It was obvious they were exhausted. So they curled up beside Epona and fell asleep. Epona did as promised and kept a watch out until the sun read seven A.M. Then she nudged them awake. Link and Zelda got up quickly and stretched out.

"_Let's talk with the King quickly to discuss Epona's housing," _Link said, _"Then, we can head out and go for Ancient Hyrule."_

"_I'll stay and keep Epona company this time,"_ Zelda said sheepishly. _"All the crowds just make me uncomfortable in this state." _And, truth be told, Zelda didn't feel like scaring anyone else for the time being. She just wanted to be back in the forest.

Link nodded. He didn't seem to mind. So he went into the forest, changed human, and went into Castle Town alone. Zelda curled up on the ground beside Epona.

A moment later, Epona commented,_ "You still seem tired, Princess Zelda."_

Zelda sighed and said, _"I am a little bit, but I'll be fine."_

"_Why don't you rest until Master Link returns?" _Epona suggested.

"_I'm quite fine, Epona," _Zelda said with a wolfish grin.

"_I insist, especially since you'll be on such a long journey."_

Zelda hesitated. _"Are you sure? I'd love to keep you company-"_

"_Go ahead, Princess. I'll wake you when Link returns." _After a moment, Zelda agreed. She was really tired. Still, Zelda hesitated to curl up and rest. But, as soon as she was settled in, she was asleep.

Zelda continued to sleep, even when Link returned an hour and a half later. He looked at the white wolf with a small smile and morphed to wolf. Zelda barely stirred. _"She must be really tired," _Link commented quietly.

"_What's the plan?" _Epona asked.

"_I talked with the King and he agreed to house you for the time being. I've already made arrangements with the stableman. You'll be in the exact stall you were before."_

After a moment, Link got up and nudged Zelda. She stirred and lifted her head, blinking slowly. _"...Oh, Link... You're back!" _As soon as Zelda realized who it was, she was on her feet instantly. _"Are we going to be leaving soon?"_

"_Yes, we just need to drop off Epona first."_

"_I figured we could go now," _Epona added.

Zelda nodded, quickly shaking off any exhaustion she had. _"Let's go now then."_

"_Do you want to stop for any food?" _Link asked Zelda.

After a moment, Zelda nodded. She _was _starving. Link nodded his agreement and then walked over to his _Master Sword_. Once he morphed human, he slung his bag over Epona's saddle and then turned to Zelda. "Would it be all right to leave some of my stuff in your small home in Castle Town?" Link asked Zelda. It seemed like she tried to say something, but in the end she just nodded. Link smiled and thanked her. Then he grabbed Epona's reigns and they started walking to Castle Town. Zelda followed behind.

It didn't take long to have Epona ready in her stable. Link helped take off her saddle and brush out her fur. Zelda talked with that stallion Epona seemed to really like. Once Epona was all settled in, Link whistled to Zelda and the two left after a final goodbye. "We can go eat first, then drop off a few unimportant at your home, and then start on our adventure," Link quietly told Zelda. They started into the crowd to Telma's Bar.

When they entered the bar, it was quiet and calm. Telma greeted Link and handed him a menu. He sat at a table. Telma looked over at the bar and smiled at Zelda. "Does she want anything?" Telma asked Link. Link looked down at Zelda, who gave a nod.

Link nodded and said, "Some milk and something to nibble on for now."

"Right away then," Telma replied with a grin. She left the bar temporarily. When Telma returned, she placed a bowl of milk in front of Zelda and a small plate of bones with scraps of cooked meat on it. Zelda lapped at the milk for a minute before she grabbed onto a bone. Within seconds, she was busy gnawing on a bone. Link looked through the breakfast choices, sipping on some water. He decided on some eggs with some boar. He looked at Zelda and asked her if she wanted the same thing. The expression on her face and the wag of her tail gave him her answer. So he ordered two plates of egg and boar. He started looking through his notebook of notes while he waited and wrote down the last of the information he and Zelda had discussed.

They'd learned about certain Talismans. He wasn't certain of what they were exactly. The book of the Celtics described they were ancient jewelry which the Goddesses had bestowed upon the first rulers of Hyrule. They'd pass the jewelry onto the heir, whether it was a boy or girl. The Goddesses had left a prophecy for the rulers to pass on. Unfortunately, most of the prophecy had been lost.

Telma came up beside Link at that moment. He smiled at Telma as she set a plate in front of him. She bent down and set the other plate in front of Zelda, who dug in like a wolf. Telma laughed and patted Zelda's head. She looked up at Telma and grinned her wolfish grin. It didn't seem to bother Telma one bit. She got back up and asked Link, "Do you want anything else to drink?"

"No, I'm good," Link said absently, flipping through the notebook some more.

They were only at the bar for about half an hour after that. Link and Telma talked while Link ate and read at the same time. Eventually, more customer started trickling in, so Telma started talking with them too. Link left soon after that. He and Zelda walked over to her other home and went inside. Link morphed as soon as the door was closed.

"_Where should I leave my stuff?" _Link asked Zelda.

She shrugged. _"You can leave it right on the table. What all are you leaving?"_

"_Spare clothes that I packed and the extra horse snacks and equipment I brought. The stableman said I didn't need to lend him anything and I don't need them on the trip."_

"_Okay, just leave it on the table. We'll pick it all up when we return."_

Link nodded and turned human. Once he had everything unpacked, he slung his much lighter pack over his shoulder. Then they left the room. They didn't stop again until they got outside. Then Link got everything situated on his back. Once he had everything comfortable, he took hold of the _Shadow Crystal. _He morphed into the wolf. He worked his back for a moment, adjusting the pack until he was comfortable and then turned to Zelda.

"_Do you want to get to Ordon by tonight? Or try to get to _Ancient Hyrule _by nightfall?" _Zelda asked him.

Link thought for a moment, then suggested, _"Let's try to find the entrance by nightfall. Otherwise, we can always stay at my home." _Link was sure he could come up with some way of getting Zelda into his home.

Zelda nodded her agreement. _"Take the main roads or forest?"_

"_The forest provides more cover, but since last night..." _Link fell silent.

"_How about we take the forestry real close to the main road. That shouldn't take too long."_

Link grinned and started trotting. Zelda followed after. It wasn't long before they were running at the edge of the main road. The road stayed mostly clear while they ran, although there were a few people who walked past. Link or Zelda scented them before the people could spot to the wolves and hid in the forest until they passed. The animals they met along the way usually said a hello as they passed.

After several hours of running, Link finally came to a stop. There was a stream. Gratefully, Zelda walked over to the water and began to lap up the cool liquid. She sighed in content. Link came next to her. He had about the same reaction. _"Should we take a break and eat something before we keep moving?" _Zelda asked between laps of water.

Link nodded, finally plopping back onto the ground. _"I could fish as a human or gather more berries and nuts."_

"_Cooked fish sounds pretty excellent right now," _Zelda admitted. _"I'm a little worn out on the nuts and fruits thing."_

Link nodded. _"Then I"ll do that now. We don't want to waste much time. The sun has been setting earlier in the day and I want to be to Ordon before then."_

"_How much farther do you think it is?"_

"_Close to a hour."_

"_Can I help at all?" _Zelda asked. She didn't like not doing anything.

"_Actually, could you get firewood?"_

Zelda nodded and started off. Link got the _Master Sword _off his back and morphed human. Then he searched in his bag until he found the net he'd brought with. He figured it would have been helpful eventually. He and Colin had been working on it since Link had returned from saving Hyrule from Ganondorf. They'd finished it only about a week before the stars started disappearing. He hadn't had time to test it yet. He'd see how it worked now.

He pulled off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and wadded into the stream. The current wasn't terribly strong and the water was pretty shallow. It wasn't long before Link noticed that the further downstream he went, the deeper the water got. The current picked up too. Larger rocks began poking out of the water. That's when Link started to see fish. So he balanced on two rocks close together and threw most of the net into the water. He waited a few minutes and then extracted the net. There was one fish which he tried to get out of the net as quick as possible. Unfortunately, the fish wriggled right out of the net. Muttering under his breath, Link attempted to readjust his feet and throw the net in again. Instead of losing the fish this time, Link lost his footing and nearly fell into the water. He barely managed to catch himself and tried to find better footing. This time, he finally caught a few fish and managed to keep them in the net until he got to shore. He let them loose on the soil and killed the fish with a hunting knife of his. He started gutting three good sized fish and scraped off the scales.

Zelda did have better luck on her end. She started into the woods the moment Link suggested collecting wood. It wasn't long before she had a good pile close to where Link would be. She went around in a five mile radius searching for all the best wood. Eventually, she had enough. With everything stacked in a pile, Zelda was able to take about three or four sticks in her mouth at once.

Zelda noticed Link look up the moment she was within his hearing range. She nodded to him and dropped the pile of sticks near Link. He smiled and said, "Thanks for getting the wood."

She started to speak, then realized he wouldn't be able to understand her, and decided just to shrug and continue back to her pile of wood. She continued to bring the wood to Link. After about ten trips, all the wood was there. Link smiled at Zelda and started setting up the wood. The fish lay, dead, on some cloth Link had in his bag. Zelda stood there, waiting for Link to tell her what to do next. He didn't say much. After he had all the wood stood up as he thought would be best, Link started making the actual fire.

Within minutes, the fire was roaring. Link put the fish on the thinnest stick he could find and set them up against the flames. Link decided to turn wolf for a few minutes and stretched out on the ground beside Zelda. _"Thanks for getting the wood, Zelda," _Link told her, looking over at Zelda.

She smiled. _"Of course. If there's ever anything I could help with, just tell me."_

Link nodded, and then said, _"I'll tell you as soon as I think of something."_

"_Thanks, Link." _Link turned back to human to turn the fish. He stayed human after that, turning the fish more frequently. After about half an hour, the fish was completely cooked through. He handed two fish to Zelda and then turned wolf to eat his half. The moment Zelda bit into the fish, she let off a sound of delight. The fish was delicious.

Link seemed impressed too. They both wolfed down the rest of the fish in a hurry, and then laid on their sides for a moment to enjoy the warm fill of their bellies. Five minutes later, Link got to his feet and said, _"Let's keep moving." _Zelda nodded her agreement and got to her feet. Then they started running some more. Being refilled with food seemed to help them move along faster. Link calculated it took about four hours to make it to his home again. They would have more than enough time to make it to the edge of Ordon's forestry. After that, they should be able to find an ancient bridge.

They sat around long enough to look over some maps Link had copied out of the ancient books in the hidden section of the library and also the maps in the books Zelda had Link take. _"I think the best route would be past the spring,"_ Link said, pointing to the trail close to the spring.

Zelda shook her head. _"That area would be so overrun with shrubbery and thorn bushes it would probably be too difficult for us to travel through. I think we should go to these routes here." _She pointed to the sketched map by the loner woman. _"She'd come from the south and discovered Ordon. The town was named after her last name."_

Link nodded slowly. _"I think that path would be just as worn. We could create our own path..."_

"_The issue is the really rough terrain," _Zelda sighed. She let her front half fall to the floor too and rested her head on her front paws to study the map at a lower position. Link walked around to look at the different maps at different angles. They were quiet for quite some time.

Then Link got an idea. _"I don't have to travel as a wolf!" _Zelda looked at Link questioningly. Link explained, _"With my sword, I could cut a brand new path. I mean, we will have to come back eventually, so why not create a new path from the spring to wherever we end up. The best course would be to travel between the path of the loner woman and the path to the spring."_

Zelda nodded slowly, thinking over Link's idea. _"That's... a great idea. Let's do that then."_

Link morphed, got all the books gathered up into his pack, and then they were on the move again towards the spring in Ordon. Link pulled out his sword to cut away shrubbery and led Zelda into the woods on the right of the spring.

At first, the trek wasn't terrible. Sure, Link had to cut a few things out of the way or take off a few branches if they seemed dangerous. He even saved the few branches he did cut off. Once they were out of the Ordon forest, it got much worse. Thorn bushes were everywhere. Several times, Link had to pull thorns out of Zelda's legs or paws. Then there was the sharp twigs which actually got Link. He wasn't sure how, but when he stepped down with his right leg, he felt a sudden pain in his left leg. There was a stick, right in his leg. It wasn't terribly deep, but it did hurt all the same. They had to stop for a while to remove the stick. Zelda insisted that he go back to his home, get the wound cleaned up, and start again in the morning. It was getting late.

Unfortunately, Zelda was right. So they turned around, Link limping slightly, to Link's home. Zelda was right by him and made sure to help him if he stumbled or needed something to lean on. It took much longer to return to the home. Then there was the other situation; getting Zelda up into his home. At first, he thought maybe he could help hoist her up, but his leg proved otherwise. Then some of the forest animals offered to help.

Within ten minutes, they managed to get Zelda up onto the edge. Link hobbled his way up the latter, gritting his teeth at the throbbing pain in his leg. Zelda sat there waiting, a concerned look on her beautiful white face. Link gave her a pained smile and pulled himself up to the ledge of his home. He morphed wolf quick enough to tell the animals thank you. He offered them some food as well. They declined the food and went back off into the forest.

Link paused for a moment, resting his leg temporarily. Then he unlatched his door and opened it for Zelda to walk in. Zelda padded in, taking in everything in one quick glance. It seemed very homey. She looked back at Link, who wobbled over to a cabinet. Zelda followed close by, wanting to help.

Link pulled down a medical kit and managed over to the table chair. He collapsed into the chair in very much pain. After a moment, he opened the kit and pulled out the healing salve. Zelda tugged on his pant leg. He looked at her and frowned. After a moment of the two staring at each other, Link decided to morph. _"You need to clean the wound with water," _Zelda said with a frown. _"It could get infected after a while."_

Link smiled at her. _"I don't have to with this healing salve. It has special properties from a rare flower."_

"_What flower?"_

Link grinned at Zelda. _"Sorry, but it's my secret. After this quest, maybe I'll share it with you then."_

Zelda grinned back at Link. Link morphed human again and started ripping the hole in his pants just enough to get to the wound. He opened the lid of the salve and scooped some out with a finger. Then he spread the salve over the wound. The burning sensation kicked in instantly, but this pain was nowhere near the pain of the actual wound.

Thankfully, the wound was numbed soon after that. Link wrapped the wound up with a cloth and headed to his trunk with spare clothes. He'd have to fix up the pants tomorrow. He pulled out a pair of pants and turned to Zelda with a sheepish look on his face. "Can you not look for now?" he asked. Obediently, Zelda turned. Quickly, Link changed his clothes. Then asked, "Want some dinner?"

Zelda turned around and nodded. Link got some fresh stew ready for both of them. They both sat by the warm fire, one a human and the other a wolf. Zelda sniffed the stew hesitantly, then stuck out her tongue and took a quick lap at the great-smelling stew. When Zelda wasn't burned, she took longer laps. It was a perfect temperature.

Link watched with a grin on his face. He tried his own soup too. It was just like he remembered it. He continued to eat and watch Zelda at the same time.

Once they were done eating, Link got the bowls cleaned up and got his bed mat set up. He spread out the bed and sheets and then morphed wolf. He beckoned to Zelda and curled up on the bed. Zelda walked over and plopped down on the comfy bed mat next to Link. She snuggled down into a ball and peeked over at Link. His eyes were closed, but he still asked, _"What's the matter, Zelda?"_

Zelda sighed and closed her eyes. _"It's just... all of this. Everything is so overwhelming. What if I can't become human again? There would be no one left to take over after father..." _Zelda took in a ragged breath. _"I'm just scared."_

Zelda could feel Link's gaze on her now. She looked back at Link and gave him a small grin. _"You'll be okay, Zelda. I promise," _Link said reassuringly. He let his tail rest on her. She took comfort in the gesture and finally let off a big yaw.

"_Let's get some rest," _she said. Zelda tucked her muzzle under her tail. Within minutes, both wolves were asleep.

_Zelda_

Zelda woke with a start, specifically because of a prodding nose. She grumbled, swiping at the annoying and intruding nose. Whatever it was jumped back. Zelda heard Link growl and then felt the intruding nose once more. She swiped again and felt a connection with her dew claw. Then she heard the yelp. Zelda cracked open an eye. Link was in front of her in wolf form, giving her a confused look on his face that Zelda found to be quite adorable. That's when she saw the blood dripping from his nose.

She was on her feet in an instant. _"Are you okay?" _she asked, concerned.

Link chuckled, the sound seeming to reverberate in his chest. _"I shouldn't have tried to wake you, but it's after eight."_

"_Oh! We need to get moving now." _Zelda stretched out quickly while watching Link, who got together what was left of the stew. He set the bowl on the floor and then turned wolf to eat with Zelda. They got all the soup lapped up in great time. Zelda sat by the door patiently, waiting for Link to gather up his bag again. Link opened the door for Zelda and came out behind her. The ledge of Link's porch wasn't terribly high up. Zelda would have some fun jumping off.

She tensed up her hunches and launched herself off the porch. The ground shot up in her view quickly, but Zelda was ready. She landed gracefully on all fours. She pulled back her lips in a grin to Link, who looked impressed. He slid down his ladder quickly and pulled out the _Master Sword._

"Let's get moving," he said to Zelda and started walking. Zelda followed after him, looking around at everything. She'd be to Ordon plenty of times, but it was never too long and she didn't have the abilities to explore it. Being a wolf made the observing even better. And more interesting. She would miss being able to see like this.

It wasn't long before Zelda noticed Link was limping again. She got Link's attention easily enough and, when she pointed at his leg with her nose, he seemed to understand (he did mention how funny Zelda looked, but she chose to ignore the comment for the moment). Link brushed off his concern and took Zelda back onto the path they'd begun creating.

Their progress was much better. Once they were about a mile away from their last spot, the trail seemed easier to cut down. Link didn't have many injuries and made a lot of progress. By lunch they were several miles into the shrubbery. They sat down to eat some fish jerky. Zelda bit into the delicious dried meat. Link decided to rest a while after that. He explained to Zelda, "We'd done really good for progress. A few minutes won't hurt." Zelda wanted to reply, but he would never be able to understand her while he was human.

About fifteen minutes later, Link got back up and started working again. Zelda had figured out how to help Link by pulling out some shrubbery. Link seemed very pleased. With Zelda's help, they cleared a path even faster than before. By dinnertime, Link had marked about ten miles farther from their lunch break. Link and Zelda ate some more fish before getting back to their work.

When the sun started to set, Link took out the map they had and a compass. Then he pulled out the notebook and started to track their progress in a current map to correspond with the ancient one. Zelda lay beside him and watched him work. Zelda nudged him when he finished the map he scribbled out. Link looked over at her. She rolled her eyes and walked over to his bag. She nudged open the bag and tried to remove the library book she and Link had taken. It was impossible to do without grabbing it with her teeth, so she looked back at Link expectantly. After a second, Link got up and took out the book. After flipping through it a little, a grin showed up on his face.

"We're near the original sites the caravan established," Link commented. "We could see the areas tomorrow." He looked to Zelda. She nodded. Link put the book away and decided to morph wolf. _"Do you want anything to eat?" _Link asked Zelda.

She shook her head. _"Let's just get some rest. We have a long way ahead of us."_

Link agreed with her. After getting his pack drawn up into a tree, Link and Zelda curled up and went to sleep.

When they got up in the morning, it was the same schedule. Eat, drink, grab Link's pack, and start cutting into a path again. They mapped out where the Caravan's first settlement site would be and made a stop mid-morning to observe the site. It was overrun by weeds, but it was much more clear than the trail Link and Zelda had been creating. There were even a few stone buildings the further Link and Zelda went into the site. The area was gorgeous. Zelda wondered why Hyrule never kept this site in any documentation or as a tourist site. The buildings held beautiful stone artwork on the walls. There were even homes, abandoned, but still left partially filled.

Link was wolf when he walked up to Zelda. _"Did no one ever come to look for this area?" _he asked her.

Zelda shook her head and said, _"I think everyone assumed these buildings and areas were destroyed in the beginning once actual Hyrule was discovered. The books had said the Caravan had moved when they'd discovered the First Goddess's spring. The people wanted to be closer to them. Then they branched out to find more land."_

Link nodded slowly, walking through the larger and open stone structure. This one was a temple to the Goddesses. There were three statues depicting the Goddesses. In the middle of the floor, there was a stone picture of the Triforce. There was something different about this Triforce. There was an intricate design in the middle of each piece. They looked similar to the Celtic designs Link had seen in the ancient books. Then it dawned on Link what the designs were for.

"_Zelda, these designs are for the Goddess's council! Zyanya would be at the top, Miakoda the bottom right corner, and Amadahy the bottom left corner."_

"_You're right," _Zelda breathed, stepping forward. She stepped onto the left corner. A bright light shone. For a moment, it engulfed Zelda. A sudden presence filtered into her mind. Then the presence disappeared. The light dispersed and landed right onto the statue of Nayru. Slowly, the light seemed to disappear into the statue. On the top point of the statue a gem, neither Link or Zelda noticed before, began to glow a soft blue.

Zelda stepped away from the Triforce. In the middle of the intricate design in the left corner, a small blue stone began to pulse. She and Link met eyes. _"Do you want to try it?" _Zelda asked quietly. Link nodded and crept forward towards the right corner. He stepped into the triangle. Nothing happened. He started to step back, but Zelda told him to wait. Then she stepped forward to.

The light engulfed Zelda again, but also Link. Suddenly, Zelda felt a flash. And felt taller. She looked at her hands. _Hands! _For a moment, Zelda was human. Then she felt the presence again. This time she could sense who it was. And then heard the whispers. _The _Light_ ones... _But in the next instant, she was back to a wolf. The next statue was aglow in a deep green. The blue stone in the statue was darker.

Zelda just sat back on the ground, stunned. Then she turned around and began to run.

_Link_

That moment Link was engulfed in the light, he was human again. He had no idea what changed him, nor what that light was. All he knew for sure was he could sense the presence of the goddesses. And they whispered to him too. But then it was all gone. He watched as Zelda fell down to the ground. Then she turned and ran.

Link had no idea what she was doing. He cursed and then turned wolf in an instant. But in that one instant, Zelda was out of sight. To make matters worse, it had begun to rain. Link could hardly catch her scent. He picked up a fading trail and tried to track her. But within a few minutes, the trail had disappeared completely. He couldn't hear her either because of the rumble of thunder. Where could she have gone? Her trail was disappearing right in front of his eyes and she didn't stay in a straight line either. She'd been everywhere.

Cursing again, Link headed back to the Caravan's settlement. He turned human, grabbed his stuff, morphed again, and started back down the trail.

_Zelda_

Anger and fear.

_Running..._

Resentment and sorrow.

_Run.._

She had no idea how to begin to pinpoint her thoughts. Everything was a clutter. Zelda had no idea what she was even doing at this point.

_Run._

Zelda _needed_ to be human again. She hated this; the stupid body, the filth, the fur, using the bathroom. All of it. She just wanted to scream. But all she could let out was a high pitched howl. She...

_STOP!_

The ground beneath Zelda's feet disappeared. All her thoughts and anger were replaced by fear. She started to tumble down a slop. She couldn't stop.

In a moment, Zelda finally noticed the rain. And all the mud. Everywhere.

_SLAM!_

Pain jolted through her body like a shock wave. She attempted to cry out in pain, but it was a pain-filled howl. In the next instant, she noticed the boulder coming closer and closer...

Then there was nothing.

_Link_

The rain continued to pour. Link could find no trace of Zelda anywhere.

Then he heard the howl.

He howled in return, then started for the sound.

But everything was suddenly deathly silent.

**~Author's Note~**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry for such a slow update. I'd finally finished the chapter, but my parents needed to use the computer before I got it posted and my dad spilled coffee all over the computer because of our wolf Juneau. Thank you all for your reviews.  
**

**Review please!  
**

**XmX  
**


	10. Chapter 9: The Test Part One

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Nine: Test Part One**

_Link_

The rain wasn't letting up. Neither was Link. He kept running and trying to track Zelda in anyway he could. He used his special vision to sense for the power of _Dark Magick_, but he had no luck. Everything was being washed away in the rain too quickly. He knew he should probably take shelter, but no matter how much the rain kept pelting at his coat, he couldn't just leave. He _had_ to find Zelda. It was his job to protect her! He howled again, hoping for a response. Others howled back, but it wasn't Zelda. Cursing under his breath, Link continued to run through the pelting rain. Eventually, Link had to give up and go into shelter. It wasn't unusual this time of year to get some wild weather, but it wasn't natural to have it happen so many times this early.

Link found a shelter of rocks and buried himself inside the small hole. It was just wide enough for him to squeeze through. He'd be able to lunge the exit if anything came after him. So he crouched down in the damp, tiny space and waited for the storm to subside.

_Zelda_

The first thing she felt was numbness. It took several minutes for her to realize she was in the rain. And then she realized she was moving, although she was laying on her side. Zelda opened her eyes slowly. There was a figure right in front of her, one of the most beautiful things she had seen. It was a woman, who seemed to glow. She had a kind look on her face, even though she was pulling a decently weight of a wolf off into the forest. Her hair was like silver, falling over her shoulders and nearly reaching the ground. The most amazing thing was Zelda was sure she wasn't getting wet at all.

"It's good you're awake, Princess Zelda!" the lady said quite loudly, making Zelda flinch. The lady quit moving. Zelda attempted to stand up. Pain wracked though her body, causing Zelda to collapse to the ground, growling. A headache was already forming.

Zelda tried standing again. This time, the pain was dull. She managed to walk. The lady beamed and turned, walking into the forest. Reluctantly, Zelda followed after her. The more Zelda walked, the easier it became. It wasn't long before she could keep up with the lady. While Zelda followed the lady, questions began to form in her mind. How did this lady know who Zelda was? In fact, who was the lady? That would be a good first questions... if Zelda could communicate with her at all. That was impossible, so she was stuck with all these questions and she couldn't ask them.

Suddenly, the lady disappeared into a thick brush of trees. Zelda stopped, surprised, and then reluctantly started walking forward slowly. The trees were some sort of illusion. She was able to get past them easily to a cavern. Inside it was a brightly burning fire and torches lining the wall. For the most part, it was dry and pleasantly warm. The lady already had a mat set up on the ground, which she told Zelda to go to.

Currently, she had her back to Zelda, facing towards the wall. She seemed to be stirring something. When she turned around, she had a stone bowl in hand. "Now, I can see all the questions written on your face. I can't answer most of them. What I can offer is this salve to help with the pain and cuts and a place to rest for now." Zelda, who had been staring at her with narrowed eyes, glanced at her left side with the most pain and noticed the cuts. They were nothing major.

Reluctantly, Zelda allowed the lady to bring over the salve. Zelda settled on the mat. The lady crouched down next to her. She began spreading the warm salve across her cuts and what seemed to be forming bruises. "I know your biggest question is probably who I am, which doesn't surprise me. The best leaders always think of the most logical questions first, then the stupid ones afterward. And trust me, princess, every leader does think of a very stupid question while interrogating someone." Zelda flinched as the lady's hand found a tender spot. She just continued talking. "My name is Acantha. And I am not part of the natural human species. The Goddess Farore was kind enough to allow me to meet you in person, Princess and as average size. I'm usually much, much smaller, being a nymph."

Zelda looked at her, surprised. Acantha laughed softly, rubbing gently on Zelda's side for a few more moments. Then she removed her hand and offered some food. It was then Zelda realized how hungry she was. Zelda knew she had to be careful, but it was _sooo_ tempting just to say yes. Thankfully, the logical side of Zelda kicked in.

She glanced at Acantha's hands first. It was then she noticed the Triforce sign on her left hand. The outline of the Triforce was lined with black gems. In each triangle, there was one large piece of gems in the Triforce. The top triangle had a beautiful deep amethyst color, the the right bottom was the color of peridot, and the bottom left was the color of aquamarine.

Acantha noticed Zelda looking at her hand and smiled. "I see you've noticed my hand. This-," she lifted her hand, "means I am one of the few nymphs that the Goddesses will call upon. There are never more than two in each colony of nymphs." Zelda nodded. She recognized the sign out of one of Hyrule's history books. Acantha could be no one else other than a chosen of the Goddesses.

Still slightly reluctant, Zelda accepted the food Acantha set in front of her. As soon as the food touched her tongue, Zelda scarfed everything down. She hadn't realized how hungry she'd be. The meat, which was something she'd never tasted before, was gone first. The fruit followed the meat, and she finished off with some water.

For a few minutes, everything was silent. Zelda just lay on the ground, enjoying the feeling of a full stomach. Then she began to feel sleepy. At first, she thought perhaps it was from eating so much. The she started to realize she was getting too sleepy too fast for it to be because of food. She looked over at Acantha, her eyes wide with fear. Acantha just smiled back. "Don't worry, Princess Zelda," she said tucking up the blanket around Zelda. She tied the ends together. "This is just to help you sleep. When you wake up, you'll never remember any of this."

Zelda tried to focus on Acantha. The more she stared at the beautiful girl, the more blackness began to creep at the edges of her vision. In moments, there was only spots of color in her vision. Her mind went nearly blank and then suddenly, she was gone.

_Link_

He wasn't able to move at all for several hours. The storm just continued raging on and on to no end. It was driving Link insane. He had to search for Zelda. He hadn't heard a howl, no one had crept through camp, there hadn't been a sign of her. Where could she be?

Was she okay?

Why had she suddenly been so upset?

When the rain quit eventually, Link was out of the cove he was in. He wasn't going to wait around for Zelda to find him. He was going to find her first. So he took off running, not quite sure where he was going to go.

The wildness of the woods surprised Link. Everything was a jumbled mess, but it was also so beautiful. Unfortunately, beauty had its thorns. Link wasn't too careful about going around the brambles and bushes and ended up with thorns in his legs and side. He stopped a couple times to bite off veins that tangled up around his legs. Not that he really cared. He just wanted to find Zelda.

Link lost track of time, smelling around everywhere he could, trying to catch a scent or a print from Zelda. He ran into many animals and asked them what they knew. No one had been around during the storm and none of them saw a white wolf run past. Or even a wet or dirty one. It was like Zelda had disappeared off the map. So Link had no idea how he was going to find her. He just continued to run.

That's when he noticed the slope. He stopped before he reached the edge and slowly crept forward. When he looked over the edge, all he was saw a giant wall of what would have been dirt, had it not rained. Now it was just mud. He could hardly notice the edge now... Could Zelda have fallen down this? After a quick scan, Link didn't see much. Not that you'd really be able to see anything with all that mud.

He finally decided to take a look at the maps he had taken notes on. Link went to change. That's when he realized he didn't have his pack. Link grumbled, glancing around. Should he go down the hill, risk not being able to get back up, but possibly towards Zelda? Or should he go after the backpack and get all their vital research? For several moments, Link stood there, looking down the hill and contemplating what he should. After five minutes, Link hesitantly stepped away from the edge. It wouldn't take too long to go back for the backpack. Besides, if Zelda really wasn't down there, it would be a waste of time having to figure out how to get back up here. And if Zelda was still up here, Link might run into her still.

So he turned around and took off in the opposite direction. He knew if he ran back the path he went before, it wouldn't take too long to get back to the settler's original settlement. Once he found his path, Link began running once again. This time, he didn't run into nearly half the brush or brambles as before. He didn't trip over any sticks or limbs. It felt as if the time getting back to the camp was cut in half. Link also noticed his cardio was building up in wolf form. He was curious what was going on. He figured he'd have to test out his abilities once he found Zelda.

Once the ancient camp showed up, Link went straight for the temple again. When he walked in, he expected his bag to be exactly where he remembered setting it down. But it wasn't there. Link frowned. His nose was to the ground an instant later. He could tell he and Zelda had been here. But there was a third trail... With a frown, Link slowly followed after the scent. If he smelt real close, he could tell there was a slight mixture of his and Zelda scent. Perhaps someone grabbed his bag also?

Keeping his nose to the ground, Link started down the trail.

_Zelda_

Sunlight streamed down upon a white wolf. Zelda blinked her eyes open, narrowing them against the harsh brightness. There were trees everywhere, but the light managed to seep in. She was under some bramble. She slowly sat up and stood. She yawned widely and blinked some more. Why did she feel so full...? Acantha.

Suddenly it all flooded back. Her wounds, the delicious but laced soup, and not the mention the beautiful nymph and her Triforce design. How did she even remember? Acantha had specifically said she wouldn't. Well, it didn't matter now. She had to meet up with Link again and they needed to get to that library they read about. As Zelda started walking slowly, she made a mental note to make sure to check up Acantha as soon as they were back at Castle Town.

She managed to find a trail pretty easily. While walking that trail and sniffing at the air, Zelda noticed the difference of the land. It wasn't so tame and the smell was different. Things seemed cleaner and... freer. And Zelda was positive she could sense Magick in the air. She was completely intrigued by this place. After her and Link finally solved this wolf problem, Zelda hoped they'd be able to explore this territory more. This place had so many mysteries. Maybe Zelda could even start a research party. She was nearly positive Link would want to join. She knew she would...

The trail seemed to lead farther and farther into a deep forest. Animals were beginning to hurry out of places, the smaller animals darting away and avoiding Zelda. She kept telling everyone she wasn't going to harm them, although she had a slight urge to chase after the animals whenever they scurried off, but she managed to keep control of herself. She soon lost interest in what the animals were doing and went straight for the end of the trail. She was very curious where it could lead. She highly doubt it would lead her where she needed to go, but she just knew she had to follow this path too.

That's when she scented the air. The smell made Zelda's blood run cold. She had no idea what it could be, but she couldn't turn and run. Her body compelled her to move forward, so she did. Zelda knew it wasn't a smart idea, but she just knew there was something she was supposed to see. So Zelda walked down the path.

Suddenly, it seemed the sun wasn't able to shine through properly. Everything was darker, dimmer. The air was growing cold. Zelda's night vision kicked in, lighting up her path for her. The feeling of Magick in the air was replaced with the presence of death. Zelda was chilled to the bone, yet she kept walking. She wasn't stupid though; she got herself prepared to fight. Her muscles bunched up unconsciously. Her pace was controlled and slowed slightly.

Then she turned around a corner on the path and froze. She saw what she believed to be about four wolves, although they were far too scrawny. And they were completely black and were cackling madly. That's when Zelda noticed the small animal they were surrounded. Her eyes narrowed and she finally made sure she was noticed. All the wolves turned around and seemed to smirk. It seemed like they glided right over and surrounded Zelda before she could move. Instantly, she was crouched and snarling, her eyes darting back and forth.

"_Now, who is this?" _a rather small and scrawny black one growled, that smirk still on his face. Zelda noted instantly he was already missing one eye.

"_Convel, manners,"_ the largest of the group snapped to who Zelda assumed now was the leader.

"_Of course, Master,"_ Convel said, bowing his head.

Master returned his cold gaze to Zelda. She met his gaze without flinching, pulling back her lip. Master just continued to study her. _"What about you, she-wolf?"_ Master asked, _"Do you have manners?"_ Zelda's eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't answer Master. He chuckled and said,_ "The least you could do is answer us while you tread on our territory."_

Suddenly Zelda felt a nip at her hind. Zelda spun around, snapping at the wolf with a white star on her forehead. The starred wolf snarled in return. _"Don't play with our next prey, Master,"_ that she-wolf growled.

"_Freki, no matter who intrudes, we keep our manners,"_ Master said coldly. Freki growled, but seemed to reluctantly agree. The only one who didn't seem to bother Zelda was the wolf slightly further back. She was completely black, like Master and Convel.

"_I'm not going to be your prey," _Zelda finally spoke.

Master just smirked. _"Tell me your name, she-wolf."_

"_Tell me her name first,"_ Zelda said, nodding towards the only one she didn't know the name of. Zelda needed any time she could get to figure out a name for herself.

"_That is Onai. Now yours."_

"_Ookami,"_ Zelda said immediately, dimly remembering she'd read the name somewhere while her and Link had been researching.

Master's eyes narrowed and he walked forward. Zelda stood her ground. _ "What is such a bright colored wolf doing in our forest anyway?"_

"_Why is it any of your business? And since when is any forest your territory?" _Zelda growled.

"_Since when do other wolves trespass so rudely?"_

Suddenly, Zelda sensed Convel moving. She jumped to the side just in time to miss Convel's attempt to knock her to the ground. Freki was after her seconds later. Zelda was already moving, starting towards her only exit. By the time she was nearly there, Onai was in her way. Zelda skidded to a halt, her lip curling up. She could already tell she was surrounded. _ "What do you want from me?"_ Zelda said, eyes narrowed. She kept glancing around the circle. All of the wolves just kept smirking back at her. _ "You guys wouldn't really eat another wolf."_

"_But you aren't any normal wolf, are you?"_ Freki said, smirk growing wider.

"_We could tell the moment you stepped foot into the shadows," _Convel added. He suddenly lunged and snapped at Zelda. Zelda was surprised what happened next; she suddenly went straight at his throat. It was complete instinct. And the moment the blood touched her tongue she was off of him, nearly gagging. But the damage was already done. The blood was pooling under him. He just stared, shocked, and suddenly collapsed.

In an instant, the rest of the pack tried to get on Zelda. But instinct was in her every muscle. She dodged and clamped down onto Freki's leg, tearing apart tendon and muscle. Master was on her back in an instant, ripping at her scruff as he pulled her off of Freki. She turned around, neatly ripping part of his ear as she lunged. Unfortunately, Onai was on her, knocking her to the side as she tried to take out Master.

Zelda had forgotten about the quiet she-wolf. Zelda was on her side, with Onai on top, ready to go for her throat. Zelda threw her weight to the side, managing to get part of Onai off of her. She swiped with her paw to Onai's underside as she snapped her jaws to her throat. Onai yelped and fell to the side. Unfortunately, Freki had launched herself on three legs to Zelda. Zelda managed to her feet before Freki got to her. Master ran into her right after, knocking her to the ground. He was on top of her, managing to inflict plenty of wounds with just his claws alone.

He stared down at her with dead eyes. _"If Onai dies, you'll die so painfully you'll wish you'd never been born."_

Zelda tried to knock him off her, but it was futile. His claws dug into her side, ripping more of her pelt. She growled and snapped her teeth in pain. He just laughed. Then he turned his head to call out to Freki about Convel. Zelda took this instant and tried a last time to through him off. One of his paws suddenly went to her throat. All her breath was cut off in an instant.

She struggled the best she could, but he was far too heavy for her to throw off. She could only stare up at him. He didn't even look at her as he killed her. For a moment, she closed her eyes. When she opened them up again, her and Master met eyes for just a second. That's when she saw a flash of deep purple before Master was bleeding all over her. He stepped off her, stumbling. _"What kind of _magick_ is this?"_ he gasped out. Suddenly Freki was by his side. She was no longer interested in Zelda.

Zelda took the time to get away. She didn't want to stay and see what was happening. She was already horrified as it was. After she was far enough away, she heaved up anything she'd eaten earlier.

Once her stomach was settled, Zelda took off running. She just dived straight into the forestry, but this time she wasn't going to lose her head like last time. Zelda just needed to get away from this.

By the time Zelda really focused on where she was running, she realized she managed onto a slightly worn down area. Curious, she slowed down and began to follow closely. She walked over fallen trees and through mud, but for the most part she could always keep to this area. It took her what seemed hours to finally see a break in the trees about a mile off. She finally started to run.

Then she broke through. In front of her was the largest and most beautiful arch she'd ever seen. It glowed a pale white with what seemed to be pieces of glass in the stone. The glass was shaped in ovals of all sorts in blue and green colors. They made beautiful, intricate designs like she'd seen in the Celtic books. And there was a large triquetra right at the top, in blue and green and purple. It was the only purple she'd seen throughout all the archway.

And past it, there was another arch, which looked like a copy. But she couldn't be sure because it was about three miles across a basically destroyed bridge.

_Link_

He continued to run, nose straight to the ground. The scent was getting stronger. He had to be close. And he hoped his bag was with whoever he was tracking. His and Zelda's scent hadn't disappeared, so he thought he was still on the right track. He noticed that the area was slowly changing. The ground was darker green and the smell of the air was different. He finally looked up.

The forest was completely different from the Ordon one. He wasn't even sure how it was possible. But even the trees seemed different. Darker, in both the leaves, pines, and trunks. More lush and clean. The air was cleaner too and smelt fresh. Link cocked his head to the side. Then he heard the stomps of footsteps. In an instant, he was faced towards the sound.

What came around the corner wouldn't have been a surprise normally. They looked just like the monkeys when he had been dealing with Zant originally. Except they were five times that size. They were huge! His eyes widened. Suddenly, five of these... well gorillas just stopped. Then the largest roared. He was a deep black with white around his eyes, hands, and feet. His hands were in fists up in the air. That's when Link caught sight of a brown satchel. He swallowed. He was going to have to get his bag back from them?

"_What is such a creature treading on our territory for?!"_ the same gorilla howled, finally glaring down Link.

Link bowed down his head instantly. He knew it was better than being aggressive. He just hoped the gorilla would accept his submission. _"My name is Link. I hope you will allow me to speak."_

Link could sense the gorilla was still glaring. But he wasn't being charged at and that was a good start. _"I am Chichwa, the leader of this part of the land. What are you doing here?"_

Link sighed in relief and looked up. The glare he received made him look back down. _"I've come to this land in search to cure a she-wolf who was infected with Darkness."_

"_We've seen plenty of wolves with the same markings. What makes you any different?" _Chichwa bellowed.

"_The Goddess has touched me." _It was an automatic response Link was used to saying.

This time Link looked up. Chichwa was staring at him, calculating. _"Prove it."_

"_I cannot change from this form with my sword. Once I had hold of my sword again, I could show you."_

"_Then where is this sword?"_

"_I had a brown satchel that was in some ruins that held the sword. I tracked them to here." _Link looked at his pack. _"And I see that you stumbled upon a similar pack."_

"_Are you accusing our Leader of stealing?" _a brown female gorilla said, stepping forward.

Chichwa held up one massive hand to stop her. _"I found this pack in a ruin. Where was yours at?"_

"_About five miles north. Inside a temple."_

Chichwa stared at Link for a few moments. Then he signaled to the rest of his group. _"The brown one is Shasta. The other three behind her are Momba to the right, Vinny in the middle, and ChonChon last." _Mombawas a reddish colored gorilla. Vinny was a brown/black gorilla with a white belly, and ChonChon was a pure black gorilla with white fur lining all parts of his body. Shasta was pure light brown and still glaring at him.

Link nodded to each of them and then bowed his head again. _"You must prove that you are who you say you are. To do that, I will set a test for you."_

Mentally, Link groaned. He didn't have time for this... _"Is there any way I can just use the sword to show you?"_

"_No, that would not be good enough. And if you do manage to pass the test, I will reward you with extra for your time. I'm sure, if you are a Chosen one, you don't have much time," _Chichwa said. He opened Link's pack. Link tensed. Some of the objects weren't just things to be handled with...

Chichwa started throwing items out randomly. Link almost growled. All of the gorillas snatched the items out of the air. For the most part, the gorillas didn't examine much, but Shasta seemed highly interested in one of the worn out books in her hand. Chichwa had his sword. He examined it without much interest.

"_So what am I supposed to do for this test?" _Link asked.

Chichwa nodded and explained, _"You'll have to go up against all of us for your equipment back. I'll make sure all the items are separated equally and then you'll fight against all of us. If you get all your things back, you win. Whether you harm us or not is your choice. Once you have everything back, we will decree whether you can pass or not."_

"_So even if I get all my stuff back, I might not get to leave?" _Link frowned.

"_Yes, but you can always attempt. If you do not wish to take this test, you will be permitted to leave now, but you will not be allowed to take your stuff with."_

Link nodded. _"I shall take your test."_

Chichwa nodded, then signaled his group. All of them tromped off into the forest. Chichwa looked back at Link one last time and then suddenly tore off running. Link stood there for a moment, and then slowly closed his eyes. He had trained himself to get accustomed to sensing the power radiating off of any weapon or object. Each one had it's own sense and a different feel for each power.

He spread his senses across the area. First, he picked up on his _Master Sword. _It only made sense, with how close he and that sword were. It was with Chichwa, as he knew before the gorilla had stomped off into the forest. He wanted to go for that last, get Zelda's books first. Those were far more important to her and almost as valuable as his sword. His sword was stronger and less fragile. So, he would attempt to sense those next. If not, he'd use his wolf sense to track down the gorillas. If that worked, of course.

Unfortunately, Link was nowhere near close with some of the objects Zelda packed. But he sensed two other objects of his; the notebook of notes and his pack. That left the book he snuck out without Zelda's knowledge, the book Zelda wanted taken and the map Zelda had him start. For some reason, he wasn't able to sense that as well. Hopefully, they'd be easier to find still. He'd go for his pack first. He turned towards north and started after his first task.

It didn't take long for Link to be able to pick up scent of one of gorillas. He stopped for a moment, winding the air. They were only ten feet away from Link. He warily glanced in that direction, but decided to head straight into the trees and sneak up from behind. Link was hoping that the gorilla wouldn't figure out his plan so easily.

Link slinked around in a circle slowly, hoping he was right in his directions. He started creeping forward. When Link peeked out, he was in fact behind the gorilla. It was Momba, from what Link could see. Link crouched down, contemplating for a moment. Then he launched himself. In an instant, Momba whirled around, ready to strike Link with his large hand. Link threw his body to the side, barely missing the strike. He landed unevenly on the ground. He crouched again, studying Momba's moves.

'So Momba knew I was there from the beginning,'Link thought, started to circle slowly. Momba followed his movements, a grin on his face. It was like he was enjoying being taunted by a smaller creature. Link's eyes narrowed. He had no idea where his pack even was. He didn't see it on Momba anywhere.

Link glanced up at the trees. A bad move. Suddenly, Momba was after him. Link didn't get away in time; he was smacked to the side. He skidded about three feet away, flinching at the pain in his side, but he managed to stay on his feet.

"_If you lose focus, I'll win, male pup," _Momba rumbled. _"You don't want to lose so soon."_

"_I'll still find my pack. And I'm no pup." _Link was trying to be polite, but the gorillas weren't the kindest either.

Momba let off a deep laugh and began circling again. Link did the same, limping slightly and looking just past Momba's shoulder into the trees. That way, he was still able to keep track of the gorilla and look for his pack at the same time. As soon as Momba started for another attack, Link was moving away from him. Momba's eyes narrowed. He suddenly stopped moving. In an instant, Link stopped as well.

Link didn't want to harm the gorilla in any way, but he couldn't stay on the defense much longer. He'd never finish these tasks in time to help Zelda if he did. So he lowered himself down and suddenly lunged towards Momba. He didn't seem to expect this, for he didn't strike Link like he expected. Link launched himself upwards, landing onto Momba's massive arm. Link didn't stop there, launching himself off the gorilla, aiming straight towards the trees. He felt a gust of wind behind him, but didn't glance back. Link stared straight at a large limb he was heading straight towards. Then suddenly it was upon him. Link tried stopping there, but ended up overshooting. He managed to dig his claws into the bark, but his lower half wasn't so lucky. It went right over the edge.

Link attempted to scramble up while Momba laughed at him. _"Was that your plan, pup?"_

Link gritted his teeth together, hooked his claws from his lower paws and managed to hoist himself up. He stood on the limb panting for a moment, looking down at Momba. Not that he was much higher... Momba suddenly disappeared. Link cursed, moving around slowly, trying to spot him.

That's when the tree began to shake. Link's first instinct was to dig his claws into the tree, but he quickly realized that would be a terrible idea. He looked around quickly and spotted another limb not too far off. Link quickly crouched and launched himself to the side, straight towards the limb. He almost was too short, but quickly scrambled up the next limb.

Momba seemed to know exactly when he moved, for the tree he was just in quit moving. Quickly, Link ran across the limb and jumped again. He didn't exactly keep an eye out for his next limb, but he actually caught this limb perfectly. He decided to aim for a few more trees while Momba tried to catch up. Once he was three more limbs past, he took scent of the wind. All he could really smell was Momba, but to the left of him there was a different scent...

The tree suddenly began to shake. Link attempted to jump to the left, but the tree was being shaken so violently Link could barely get any leverage. He ended up short for the limb even to his and began to fall. His fall was quickly stopped by an outer branch. He grunted at the impact, feeling a sharp pain up his already injured side, but he got back up and tried to get to a branch just barely higher up. He only managed to get his front paws on the limb and once again had to scramble up on it. Momba was on him right after that, nearly wrapping a massive hand around Link. Link managed to get up on the branch. And he hopped for another and another.

Finally he was much higher than he was before. Momba seemed to have lost track temporarily, giving Link the chance to scent the air. He quickly pushed aside the scent of Momba and focused on the other scent. Instantly, Link recognized the direction. Straight up. Link opened his eyes and looked straight up. Nearly fifteen feet above, Link caught sight of the bag.

And when he lowered his head, he was eye to eye with Momba. His eyes widened and he quickly turned and shot over to a branch further off. Then he jumped higher up to a branch in the tree Momba was hanging off of. Momba was after him, finally looking nervous. Link just grinned, jumped to the tree behind him and then to a branch three feet above. He got three of four legs onto the branch mostly and pulled himself up. Now he could clearly see his brown bag.

Unfortunately, Momba was a fast climber. Whenever Link got up further, Momba was always close behind. Link just kept jumping further and further until he was only a mere two feet from the bag. He glanced down, where Momba was climbing even faster, bunched up his hind leg muscles and launched himself towards the trunk. Then he grabbed hold of one straps with his teeth. It fell loose easily. Then Link was on all fours again. It was then Momba was right on that branch also. He just stared at Link, who stared back. Then Link launched himself right past Momba to a branch right across. He took long enough to look at Momba and then started to descend down branches. He didn't sense Momba coming after him and a quick glance over his shoulder proved he was right.

Now it was time to find the next gorilla.

**~Author's Note~**

**I'm so sorry for the looong update. There's just been so much going on and I've been working on this all the time I actually had free. I hope it's satisfactory to all of the readers**

**REVIEW!**

**XxXMorganXxXLEAHXxX**


	11. Chapter 10: The Test Part Two

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Ten: The Test Part Two**

_Link_

Link took a moment to rest in a tree limb and to scent for his next challenger. His side burned with pain and he noticed that his back left paw was tender to set on the ground again. He must have re-injured himself during the fight at some point. He had to rest his body and then continue on. Otherwise, he was never going to get to Zelda, wherever she could be. So he settled onto a low branch, just long enough to get the pain to settle down. He lifted his head and started scenting the air for any of the gorillas in the general vicinity.

He frowned. Something wasn't right. There was a peculiar smell...

Suddenly, he tensed. He could see the shadow slowly looming over him. He counted to five and launched himself. Just as he left the branch, he could see the branch get crushed under the gorilla's grip from the corner of his eyes. He managed to catch the branch across from him and quickly flipped around. Vinny was staring after him, face impassive. Then he launched himself right into the tree branches. Link dashed to the side, hoping to get out of Vinny's way. Vinny's course changed instantly, straight towards Link. He tried to get out of the way fast enough, but his paw suddenly slipped out of him and he was falling towards the ground.

Part of his body met with a branch, but Link wasn't able to catch onto anything before he was falling again. Suddenly, he could see a course of tree limbs he was going to hit. Unless he could find the perfect time to catch himself he was going to be sorer than before and much more slow and Vinny wasn't going to be as patient as Momba. So he just kept trying to catch onto a branch and keep from panicking.

By the time he hit the ground, his fall had been slowed enough it didn't hurt terribly. Mostly, the pain oriented in that left back paw and his one side. He tried to find some cover in shadows of the trees, but Vinny was on the ground the instant Link was on his feet. Then Vinny was on the move, coming straight at Link. His attacks were very straight forward and fast. Link's best option was to keep being the prey until he found the right weakness. Link decided to run mostly to the sides, in hopes that would slow Vinny down. But his paw seemed to cause issues for he couldn't go nearly as fast and he limped. Vinny was catching up fast. In a last attempt, Link threw himself in the opposite direction straight into the shrubbery and brush. Hopefully, he could find a place to hide out to rest his paw for a minute. All he needed was a minute… But he could hear the crunch of the greenery under Vinny's massive feet and he was still getting closer. Link just couldn't get away.

Where was the book he had sensed anyway? Vinny obviously didn't have it on him, so where could he have put it? There wasn't a ton of hiding spots and Link doubted he'd hide it in the same place as Momba. Besides, a book was harder to hide in a tree, more unstable and unreliable. So there was very few places he could hide it, but it would have to be in a wide range-

Suddenly, Link was airborne. How he hadn't sensed Vinny that close in that one instant was stupid… He crashed down into a bush, flinching. Sharp needles buried into his pelt and nicked his skin. Link got to his feet, hopping to the side by the bush. Vinny stared down at him, for once not charging immediately. _"If you give up now, I won't kill you,"_ Vinny rumbled. _"I will escort you out of this forest and you will never return."_

Link shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but Vinny didn't give him the chance. He raised his massive hand, preparing to either crush him or grab him, Link wasn't sure. But he wasn't able to run or escape in time. In that one second, he bowed his head and prayed to the goddess one simple word, _'Please…' _What happened next, Link was never exactly sure. But he wasn't crushed or touched for that matter. He could hear the sound of Vinny's blow and looked up. His hand was paused midair, for just that instant, and Link could see the shimmer of some sort of… force field.

Then suddenly, Vinny was thrown back. Link stared at the form of Vinny on the ground for an instant, but as soon as he saw him stirring, Link took off, back towards the clearing he had just left. Hopefully he could get enough time to actually scent for the book, just as long as Vinny was down for another minute… Link stopped as soon as he made it to the clearing and quickly lifted his muzzle, sensing for the power and scenting at the same time.

The sense of the power wasn't far off. It was extremely close actually. Frowning, Link followed after the sense. Was it really so close? There had to be a reason if it was so close. Link watched the ground closely, making sure to keep an eye out for possible traps or holes or something that could prevent him from getting to the book. He also kept his ears open for the sound of Vinny. But everything was surprisingly silent… almost too silent. There just had to be a catch to such an easy find.

Then he could see the book… and the map!

And then he saw Vinny, staring at him with dark eyes.

Link bunched up his muscles, preparing to run some more. But he didn't move an inch. He just stared at Link. Link took a step forward. Still he didn't move. Link frowned, but didn't take a step further.

After several minutes of staring at each other, Vinny finally said, _"I'm giving you this one chance to take your things. Just get around me."_ Link stared at Vinny suspiciously for a moment.

"_Why would you just let me take it?"_

"_I have my reasons. Are you going to try or not? You only have one shot."_

After a second, Link took a step forward. Then another and another. He knew he wouldn't be able to walk straight up and take it, so Link decided to dive to the side and sneak up around Vinny from behind. He didn't do a terribly long loop nor did he worry about hiding his presence as much. When he could clearly see the journal book and map, he dived for the objects and quickly snapped his jaw around them. Vinny turned around, but he was too late. He and Link stared at each other for a moment. Then Vinny bowed his head slightly, turned, and walked off. Link stared after him for a moment, before dropping the objects and going back for his bag. He really, really hoped Vinny wasn't planning on coming back. He needed a moment to rest.

Once he had the bag in hand (or really mouth), Link nudged the history book into the bag and tried getting the map in the bag without getting it wet. Silently, he cursed Chichwa for putting him through this struggle. Link started accessing his injuries. His back left paw hurt more than ever before and his sides throbbed in pain. There were obvious injuries to his pelt, nothing serious, but they stung in one of the most annoying ways possible. Especially those damn thorns Vinny had thrown him into.

That reminded him…

Where had that… force field come from? There wasn't a better word to describe for it and he had no idea where it could have even come. That wasn't even logically possible to happen in a normal situation. So obviously, it was something out of the ordinary. Could the Goddesses have done it for him? Or… he glanced down at the _Shadow Crystal. _Could that have something to do with it? Those were the only two possible situations. Unless of course, the Triforce of Courage was somehow… evolving or something. But it had never reacted before either. He wasn't sure what any of this could be. It was all so confusing.

Link spent a couple more minutes sitting and resting his body. He scented the air, sensing another gorilla not too far off. What was strange was he could still sense Vinny and Momba. It seemed like they had met up or something and were heading further up into the forest, where Link could sense his _Master Sword_. Since there was a line of gorillas towards the _Master Sword,_ Link couldn't go straight for his sword, as frustrating as that was. These would be so much easier if he wasn't in just wolf form and Chichwa might even actually call off the battles if Link could get a hold of his sword.

Reluctantly, Link got to his feet, trying to ignore the pain in his paw and started off towards the next challenge.

_Zant_

Zant sat at the edge of the mud cliff, staring down at where he had sensed Zelda last. She had slipped right down this path into the Dark Forest, _Cantorix_, but she wasn't buried. She had been grabbed and cloaked in power by that mysterious Sense. The Sense had felt like a Goddess's power, just a lingering feel. Once he could sense Zelda again, he had sent out some of the _Dark One's_ old minions, the _Dark Pack_. But the pack of wolves had yet to return and he had felt Zelda moving again. He was tempted to go after her, but she had yet to gather anything that was of use. Perhaps after she uncovered some of the _gifts_…

Zant realized he was touching the pendant again. He could still feel the thrum of power under his fingers, steady as a heartbeat. The Dark One seemed calm. Perhaps he knew what had happened to the wolves… Zant saw movement, over near the edge of _Cantorix. _It only took him a moment to recognize Freki. She spotted him instantly and continued to stare up at him. Reluctantly, Zant stood and descended, the _Darkness_ forming steps down the slope for him to use. Something had happened, that much was clear. The fact Freki was alone worried Zant most.

He could see one of her limbs were tattered open. "So, she has instincts?" Zant asked, couching down near the she-wolf. He already knew he'd be able to understand her; it was another thing the _Dark One _had given him.

Freki tensed, but spoke, "_Yes, it seems she did. Can you use the healing properties from the _Dark One?"

Zant frowned, inspecting her paw. Not only was there blood, but he could see a black smoke leaking from the wound also. "The _Dark One _created you all, didn't he?" Zant asked. He took hold of the Pendant again, slowly drawing out some of the powers and then touching Freki's paw. The muscles and tendons slowly started to form back together, the black smoke curling and twining together. Freki nodded at Zant's question, watching Zant work his power.

No, these weren't his powers. Not yet anyway.

"_The others are injured. I was the only one well enough to be walking. Onai was injured in her belly, Convel got his throat ripped out, and Master… I have no idea how he was injured. I saw what happened, but this…"_

Zant gave Freki a look. "What exactly did it look like?"

"_Darkness," _Freki whispered.

Zant frowned. "That shouldn't be possible, Zelda is of Light."

"_There's still lingering of the _Darkness. _Come look." _Freki turned back towards the Dark Forest and slinked into the shadows. Zant followed after quickly, brows furrowed. If they had truly fought Zelda and if Master had at all been injured by a power, it would have had to be Light. Zelda was unable to access any form of darkness, even after Zant transformed her. She was born in Light. There was no way in any form for her to be able to access Darkness.

Freki had led him straight to their battleground. It was a disaster. There was blood everywhere. It was obviously Zelda had some injuries, as her blood was much lighter than the _Dark Packs'_. Convel lay unmoving. Onai was gasping, blood leaking from her swelled belly. He only hoped the pups would live. They were of the _Prophecy _and the _Dark One _specified he needed the pups alive.

Master was lying still, barely moving except for the twitches. Zant went over him first and crouched down. There was a lingering purple smoke mixing with Master's black and red smoky blood. Zant pressed his hand to Master's wound. At first, the _Darkness _resisted, trying to part from the unnatural power. Zant slowly added some of _Twili _and _Triforce_ powers and suddenly, the _Darkness _engulfed the lingering power Zelda had left. It only took a moment for Zant to realize it wasn't just _Triforce _powers as he suspected. There was a lingering mix of Din's ability, as he thought originally, but what was most surprising was the _Twili. _How Zelda had managed to control _Twili _was beyond Zant. It was impossible. Yet, here was his proof.

Master was healed within moments of the _Twili_ power being extracted. He blinked several times before looking up at Zant and quickly getting to his paws. Fast movement was obviously a bad idea for he collapsed to the ground. He growled in frustration.

"Just lay and relax for a moment. You've lost a lot of blood," Zant said boredly, standing up and walking over to Convel. He knew he should be more worried about Onai, but she was still currently conscious and she wasn't losing a lot of blood. Besides, if the pups were dead, they would have been before Zant could have done anything.

Convel was dead. That much was obvious the second Zant took a good look at him. Convel was lucky he was of _Darkness_, otherwise Zant would not have been able to help him. It took several minutes to repair the damage and getting Convel breathing again. He didn't seem like he'd be moving at all for a while, so Zant went straight over to Onai. She whimpered as soon as Zant touched her belly gently. Before he began healing, he felt for the three pups. They all squirmed under the medium pressure Zant applied. Satisfied, Zant began healing Onai's wounds. They were deeper than Zant originally anticipated, but not life threatening.

"You were ordered not to get involved, Onai," Zant said quietly. The poor she-wolf look terrified at Zant's words. He smiled at her. "Don't worry. I wasn't planning to harm you at all for your disobedience. I'm just curious as to why you'd defy the _Dark One_."

"_Master was under attack. I didn't think about it," _she whispered.

The pendant around Zant's neck began to glow. "_Your mate is replaceable." _The words came from the pendant. The _Dark One _continued, "_The _Prophecy Pups _are not."_

"_I'm very sorry. It won't happen again," _Onai said, staring at the forest floor.

"_If it does, you will be dead the moment the pups are born," _the _Dark One _snarled. The glow of the pendant faded and the _Darkness _was silent once again.

Once Onai's belly was healed, Zant inspected the pups again. They didn't move as much, so he assumed they weren't as distressed. He'd have to check them again in a bit.

He turned to the rest of the _Dark Pack. _He said, "For now, we will rest. As soon as I sense that Zelda is on the move, we will follow." He turned back to Onai. "How do the pups feel to you?"

"_They were distressed before, but now they feel better."_

"Any contractions?"

"_Not that I could tell."_

"Good..." Zant stood up and started walking away. "I'll come for you when the time is right." He fingered the chain of his pendant as he walked out of the clearing. After a while, he settled on the ground, closed his eyes, and sensed for Zelda again.

Link

He and Shasta stared at each other, both of them trying to catch their breath. It hadn't taken long for Shasta to find Link. Unfortunately, for Link, she hadn't waited for Link to start moving again. Within three minutes of Link resting his body, she had attacked him. And charged, quite forcefully.

So far, he had been pummeled thoroughly, smacked straight into a tree, grabbed and squeezed very painfully, and crushed to the ground. He barely got away each time. By now, one of his eyes were swollen, his whole right side throbbed and burned in pain, he was limping heavily on his left side, and it was getting hard to breathe. He really wished he could figure out what he had done earlier with that force field thing.

Shasta suddenly charged towards him, causing Link to stumble ungracefully away from her. She laughed annoyingly, watching Link as if he were a mouse. He eyed her warily, glancing over at the history book she had in her right paw. Now, he really wished he had never grabbed the book to begin with. If it was damaged, Zelda would never forgive him. He would be lucky if she would forgive him for taking the book.

How was he supposed to grab the book from her anyways? She kept it in hand the entire time she charged him. He had been avoiding harming anyone so far, as it was his nature, but would he have to now? He wasn't at all comfortable with that. There had to be another way...

Shasta was on him. Link barely dodged to the side, stumbling over his paws. Quickly, Shasta grabbed for Link. He tried to get away, but it was futile. She wrapped her large paw around him and picked him up. Link tried to struggle out of her grasp, but it was obvious he would not be able to. She held him up, a mere few feet from her face. "_How is it you can say you're one of the Chosen Ones? That 'Godesses have touched you'? You're nothing than a mere pup that was damaged by Darkness," _Shasta growled, glaring at Link.

"_Farore has granted me special abilities. If you would just give me the chance-"_

"_I won't grant you another chance," _Shasta said, before she started to squeeze. Instantly, all of Link's oxygen was forced out of his body and the ability to access more was crushed. Link gasped, clawing at the insides of Shasta's paw and trying to get away. But she grinned at him, watching as he struggled to survive. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to fight through the pain and lack of oxygen. There had to be a way to access the ability he had performed with Vinny…

Suddenly, his front left paw began to burn. He pressed that paw against Shasta's, in an attempt to relieve the pain with some pressure. In return, Shasta howled in pain and let go of Link. He dropped to the ground, but was surprised when he was not injured from the fall. That was when he noticed the gold light around him. He stared in wonder at the glimmering light around him and noticed a voice, so soft and melodic, surround him.

"_You are guided by the power that lies within…"_

"_This light…" _Shasta's voice broke the state Link was in. He looked back at the gorilla, who stared at him in return. Already, Link could feel his wounds healing. He wasn't sure what this was, not exactly, but he had a feeling it had to do with Farore. What this was exactly, Link wasn't sure, but he would find out.

"_Shasta, of the Gorillas, I beg you please give me the book which I have been entrusted to protect and trust, in the name of Princess Zelda and the Goddesses of Hyrule," _Link said, surprising himself of the power in his words.

"_I do not bid towards this land Hyrule, but of Léoneis," _Shasta said. "_Hyrule gives disgrace to the age of old!" _With that, Shasta charged again. But as soon as she stepped in the field of gold light, she seemed to slow. Reluctantly, Link stepped towards her. She didn't seem to even notice, slow as she was at this moment. With a small grin, Link ran right up to Shasta. He waited right up to the moment she brought down her right hand and grabbed for the history book.

Once he had the book in mouth, he ran from Shasta as far as he could while she was slow. Unfortunately, as soon as the gold light was away from the gorilla, Shasta was back to full speed. She stopped as soon as she picked up her regular speed. She looked at Link, then her hand, and back at the wolf. She nodded, eyes narrowed.

"_It seems you are something else. Whether you a truly this 'Chosen One', I cannot believe, but you have completed the task Momba has given you. Leave now, before I come after you again," _Shasta said, reluctantly turning away from him.

Link looked back one last time at Shasta. He bowed his head and said, "_Thank you for this lesson." _Then he was running off. He knew he needed to separate himself and Shasta as far as possible before slipping the book into the pack also, but it was impossible to carry both things in his mouth far. So he stopped quickly to nudge the book into the bag, grabbed the strap in mouth, and took off again. Once he was far enough away from Shasta he would sense for ChonChon. That had to be the last one before Momba. He just knew he'd have to fight ChonChon before he could acquire the _Master Sword_.

After running for a few minutes, Link paused. He set his things on the ground and started scenting and sensing the air. It didn't take long to pick up trail of another gorilla. They were a lot easier to scent for than trying to pick up sense of the objects they had. All he knew for sure was it wasn't his Master Sword. The sense of the sword was much farther off than the gorilla he had scented. He picked up his bag and started off again. ChonChon was close by...

Once Link could sense ChonChon in a five-foot radius, he set his pack down by a tree and sniffed at the air. ChonChon was really close by. Quickly, he tried to sense for the last notebook, the one he wrote in. He couldn't sense a thing. Link grabbed his bag, frustrated this one would also be just as hard. He was glad that gold light he had around him gave him extra stamina, otherwise he'd never be able to face Chichwa by himself. And he still needed to find Zelda.

He tried scenting for her again, but, again, she had not been around here at all. It concerned him greatly. Link dismissed the thoughts altogether. He needed to focus on the last two tasks. He figured the notebook would be close to ChonChon. He scented for him… But there wasn't a strong scent. It all seemed faded… He frowned. What was going on?

Link went over the entire five foot radius. If ChonChon was here, he was invisible and deciding not to attack Link at all. It was more likely that ChonChon had left the area. Could Link's notebook be missing from the area too? He tried sensing for the book again. This time, he caught the faint sense of the notebook. He tried tracking the sense, but it disappeared just as fast. The good news was it was still in the general area. He guessed he just had to start searching. It seemed like it was the only logical thing to do.

Link scrounged through all the foliage for several minutes. After many attempts at sensing for his notebook, Link was finding it easier and easier to find the notebook's sense. Still, ChonChon's scent was stale. With a shake of his head, Link tried sensing for the notebook again. The sense was much stronger... He found the end of a trail! Link ran to the edge of his radius and then some.

After about another foot out, Link found the notebook. He hesitated grabbing the notebook. This just seemed too easy. But Link would be able to sense if ChonChon was there... Reluctantly, Link dropped his pack, grabbed the notebook in his mouth and started to back away. Nothing was happening! What was going on with this 'challenge'? Shouldn't ChonChon be attacking or at least attempting to take the notebook? He dismissed his concern and started back to his pack. Nothing was happening still. With a shrug, he nudged the book into the bag and picked up the bag with his mouth. He really could not wait to be human again. Then he would have to carry this in his mouth anymore!

He scented for Chichwa and easily picked up the Leader's trail. He started running in that direction. This was his last test and he was free to be human again...

_Zelda_

Zelda started back the way she came. She needed to remember this trail, find Link, and bring him back here. She was ninety-five percent sure this was the bridge they needed to find. So she ran. It didn't take her long before she stumbled around the same area she was before. She could see the edge of the forest she had been in before. It was obviously much darker and more shadowed. So Zelda avoided that area at all costs.

Soon, Zelda realized she was in a different area then before. She raised her nose and scented for the air. This area had a different scent all of its own, just like the dark forest from before. But there was something familiar in all these new scents. She could smell animals she'd smelt before, but there was a new scent she hadn't smelled before... She worked out the wolf scent. She frowned and took a better whiff. That had to be Link! It was just too familiar. Why was he down here though? Had he come looking for her?

She picked up a trail and started to follow that. While she followed the stale trail, she stumbled upon a _much_ fresher scent. It couldn't be older than fifteen minutes! She turned down that trail, her nose pressed to the ground. Now that she was focusing on this trail, she could easily find Link's trail among all the others.

She picked her nose off the ground and started to run. His trail was strong. He was obviously very close by. Why he hadn't been trying to find a way out of this forest, she had no idea. She just hoped he wasn't in any trouble like she had stumbled upon. If he did, she hoped he was able to handle himself. She didn't want him getting harmed on this adventure because of her…

She could tell as soon as she reached him. There was a feel in the air, as much as smell around her. She ran straight through a bush, into a clearing. At first, no one acknowledge she had even entered the battleground. That's what it looked like too.

There were four giant gorillas, roughly making a circle around a fifth gorilla and who she assumed would be Link. What shocked her was the fact the fifth gorilla was holding Link's _Master Sword_. And he was swinging it right at Link! She snapped out of her shock and shouted as loud as she could, _"Stop it!" _The four circling gorillas all stopped to stare at her, but no one stepped forward to stop her. She ran straight where she could see Link and the gorilla battling. She froze. In front of Link, there was a light. She watched as the Master Sword connected with the golden light, but instead of cutting right through the sword stopped, as if the light was a solid shield.

But that light disappeared as soon as Link spotted Zelda. Suddenly, the gorilla with the sword stopped as well to stare. Link glanced at Zelda, then at the Gorilla, and mouthed, '_Distract him'. _Zelda barely nodded and started right over to the gorilla. _"What are you doing to Link?!" _she demanded, staring up at the Gorilla. She was surprised how confident she sounded, inside she was terrified. Obviously, these Gorillas weren't here to kill Link. She suspected she applied as well. She hoped she was right...

"_I am Chichwa, Protector of the Luciferus Forest." _Chichwa stared at Zelda. _"Are you companions with this pup?"_

"_I am. Why do you ask, Protector Chichwa?" _Zelda started, knowing full well that manners were still applied, whether they were human or animal.

Chichwa stared at Zelda for a moment and then suddenly dropped the sword, blade first, into the ground. Zelda jumped and stared at sword and then at Chichwa. _"This is all I need to see. You, Lady Zelda, have been touched by the Goddess. I can see that plainly, and now I can sense the same thing from Master Link as well. Young pup, come touch the sword. You do not need to sneak."_

Link, who was currently sneaking out of the forest, paused. Zelda couldn't help, but give him a wolfish grin. He smiled sheepishly at her, but he hesitated to walk to Chichwa. The Gorilla barely paid him any mind. He was still staring at Zelda. He only took his eye off of her when Link changed. He nodded at Link as soon as Link was human and looked back at Zelda. Link sheathed his sword and changed back to wolf. As soon as he did, Chichwa said, _"You are of the Prophecy."_

Zelda frowned. _"What Prophecy?"_

"_Come to our home. We shall feed you and tell you everything." _Without a glance at the wolves, he started into the trees.

"_We should go after them, Link," _she said. She looked at him and noticed the hesitant look on his face. He turned to her and opened his mouth, but before he could comment, she saw his gaze travel over her body.

"_Zelda what happened to you?!" _he asked, sounding concerned. She couldn't help, but smile as he started looking her over more closely.

"_It's nothing really," _she said. Truthfully, she really didn't notice the small stings in her pelt. _"Let's worry about these after we follow the gorillas. I'm going to be fine."_ She started off after the five gorillas.

_**~A/N~**_

_**So sorry for such a long wait. My whole life is falling apart and is in shambles all at once. Especially since my grandpa who lived with us passed away. I promise I will try to update sooner. This is getting more interesting to write anyways. Thanks for reading!**_

_**XmX**_


	12. Chapter 11: The Prophecy

**Legend of Zelda: Wolf Princess**

**Chapter Eleven: The Prophecy**

_Link_

Link started after Zelda. Obviously, she was injured, but, by how she was walking, she seemed okay. Still, she had gotten lost and hurt in the process. He felt like all of this was his fault. He should have been keeping a better eye on Zelda and protecting her like he'd promised.

She must have sensed him looking at her, because she glanced over him over her shoulder and quickly assessed his expression. _"What's wrong, Link?"_

"…_You were hurt and I wasn't there to protect you," _he admitted, coming up to walk next to her.

She rolled her eyes and bumped into him playfully. _"Honestly, I don't feel a thing. I'm not your responsibility to protect and care for."_

"_I'm not saying you are. But I care about you and I want to protect you. It's for me, not just you," _he told her, nudging her back and grinning. _"You're going to have to deal with it."_

She stuck her tongue out playfully and started bounding after the gorillas. They barely glanced at Zelda as she got herself in the middle of the group, although he noticed Momba bow his head slightly at her. What was so different about Zelda that let the gorillas know she was good? Or that she was of this "Prophecy" Chichwa mentioned?

Link noticed a change in the forest, breaking his train of thought. It was obviously the gorillas' home. The trees here were larger than anything he had ever seen. The trunks were massively thick and very overgrown. When they further into the grove, Link noticed a small creek. There were many smaller gorillas playing in the creek. Their mothers were off on the side banks, chatting away and watching their children. He looked up and noted what seemed to be homes for Gorillas; there were patches in the canopy, giving him glances of the shelters and rooms. He could even see a few walking among the branches. Everything was just so ancient and natural and beautiful!

Chichwa interrupted Link's sight-seeing. He told Link and Zelda formally, _"We're preparing a feast for tonight's dinner. You are welcome to stay the night before you continue onto your journey tomorrow."_

"_Thank you so much for the offer. That would be wonderful," _Zelda agreed, glancing at Link. He voiced his opinion also, still cautious of the gorillas.

"_Then Vinny shall show you to the guest branches," _Chichwa said, turning. _"We shall have the feast soon and then you shall all meet the council."_

Chichwa wandered off to a tree close by and started climbing the massive trunk. Within moments, Link could no longer see him in the limbs. Momba, Shashta, and ChonChon started off into the forestry. Vinny stayed put and stared at the wolves for a moment. _"Are you able to climb well?" _he asked, turning away before they answered.

"_Yes, we can decently," _Link answered. Zelda nodded her agreement, studying the canopy of limbs above.

"_The guest limbs aren't far from here and the rooms aren't far up. You should be fine." _He started off without another word. Link started after him. Zelda was quick to catch up too. Link noticed that other gorillas began coming out of the trees and was quick to keep his head down. Everyone that Link had run into so far all seemed to appreciate formality over friendliness. He didn't want to upset anyone, especially if they were going to be kind enough to let them stay the night in their home.

Vinny paused and turned to Link and Zelda. _"This is the guest tree. The largest guest branches are the lowest level. The actually guest branches are much larger than the walkways. You'll be able to tell the difference as soon as you see them."_

"_How far up are the guest branches?" _Zelda asked, looking away from Vinny to the large trees.

"_The walkways start at eight feet. The actually guest branches will be fifteen feet. Will that be an issue?"_

"_No, that will be more than fine," _Link said, glancing at Zelda. She nodded her agreement and started towards the trunk.

"_I will come for you when the feast is ready. It will be a busy night." _Then Vinny ambled off into the trees.

Zelda and Link met each other's eye. Link shrugged. _"Can you actually get up that high?" _he asked her.

She nodded slowly, stepping forward to examine the trunk. _"It looks like the trunk is slightly tilted. Neither of us should have an issue," _she said, looking over her shoulder at Link.

"_Let's try it then." _He watched Zelda crouch down. She hesitated a moment and then ran at the trunk. Within moments, she was scrabbling up a branch into the upper canopy. Link followed her example.

It was tougher than he first thought. He almost didn't make it and had to use his claws for the extra leverage. He swung himself up onto the same branch Zelda did and stopped to take a look. Up in the trees was absolutely amazing. Everything really did look like a home, only it was made completely out of the natural elements. There were walkways, even what looked like staircases. It was enchanting how gorgeous the place was.

"_I think our guest rooms are up there," _Zelda commented, humor in her voice.

Link looked where Zelda was and chuckled. There was large sign the gorillas obviously built that said _'Guest Rooms'. _He started walking across the branches to a ramped tree branch. It was a fairly easy climb and Link found several notches to help him along the way. Zelda followed close behind him and it wasn't long before she was next to him and declared, _"First one to the top doesn't have to carry any of the packs!" _Then she was rushing past him as fast as she could. Link threw himself after her, trying to catch up with the she-wolf as she ran. She was surprisingly fast up the branches. Unfortunately, too fast.

They collapsed at the top, laughing their wolfie laughs, and Link nudged her playfully. _"I'm only carrying everything for one day," _he told her. She just grinned at him and stood up.

"_Let's take a look at our rooms for the night. I'm sure we'll be eating soon," _she said, starting into the hollow knot of the tree. Link got up and followed after her.

It was obvious how the gorillas chose their homes. The guest houses were hollowed out trunks with very intertwined walls, so much so that it was almost impossible to see through. There were very few places to actually fall through in the floor and the spots had obviously been cleared so you could see the holes. There were beds made out of shrubbery that dotted the area. It wasn't very private, but it was really cozy. It was perfect.

Zelda yawned, stretching herself out. _"I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to lay down for a bit," _she told Link.

"_I'm definitely joining you, if you don't mind," _he said, giving Zelda an inquiring look. She just smiled, nodded, and started towards the shrubbery. Link followed after her. She really never seemed to mind sleeping close together. He noticed she moved in closer when he settled down close to her and curled up right beside her.

It wasn't long before he dozed off.

_Zelda/Link_

She woke with a start. She could hear movement below, loud enough to wake her up. She got to her feet and cocked her head to the side, straining to hear what was going on. Link stirred beside her and blinked at her sleepily. _"Is it time to get up yet?" _he asked, yawning.

"_I think so," _she said slowly. _"I think Vinny is trying to wake us now." _She walked towards the entrance of the guest level and peaked down below. She could barely make out Vinny through the branches. She glanced over her shoulder, saw Link following her, and started down. The climb down was steeper than Zelda liked and she took it slow, but it didn't take her long before she could just jump to the ground. Link followed right after.

Vinny nodded in greeting and said, _"Everything is ready. Be prepared, this is a very special night for many of the animals."_

Zelda frowned, and asked, _"What's so special tonight?"_

"_This is the feast with the Creators' Chosen Ones," _he informed them curtly. Then he turned and started walking off before Zelda could ask more.

"_Do you think by 'Greators' he meant the Goddesses?" _she questioned quietly as they followed after him.

"_That would make the most sense," _Link said softly, glancing at her.

They arrived in the middle of a large clearing. Most of the chatter died instantly, as soon as the gorillas saw them. Even some of the infants hesitated in their games, but it wasn't long before the young ones forgot about the wolves altogether. The older gorillas started murmuring with each other quietly.

Chichwa walked up to Link and Zelda. _"Welcome to our home, Chosen Ones. Tonight, we are celebrating the beginning of our prophecy. You are welcome to all the food you would like."_

The feast itself was grand. There was food everywhere. It was set up on different levels, organized by color and portion size. Zelda was more shocked by the fact there was fish available and, to top it off, it was cooked too! The food itself was amazing. It was the freshest fruit ever! The taste just exploded in her mouth. She doubted that she'd ever be able to enjoy Hyrule's food ever again.

It was surprising how open all the gorillas were with her and Link. Many gorillas settled around the large oak trunk, similar to a table, and started making conversation with her. They all just seemed very curious about their situation in general. She noticed more people grew curious about Link the longer that he was around. He was even more different than Zelda. It seemed like the gorillas could sense he had been originally changed by _Twili_, but he also felt like he had been touched by the Goddesses. They were all intrigued by it.

The feast went on for hours. Eventually, Zelda settled down on the ground near a small group of mothers and chatted with the youngest, Olive. _"So, do you even know what your next plan is?" _she whispered, glancing at the elders.

Zelda shook her head. _"I've found the bridge we need to cross, but I've yet to talk to Link. We've both been a little busy."_

"_That's very true. But you have free time now, why don't you go talk to him?" _Olive asked. Zelda glanced over at the dark wolf, who was sitting and talking with Damon and Puchi Colon, if she had their names right. It was hard to remember all the names in such a short time.

She turned back to Olive and shook her head. _"We will tonight, after we meet with the council."_

As if on cue, Chichwa stood up, high on the large oak trunk. _"The feast is complete tonight. Bid the Chosen a good night and let the council meet with them." _Everyone started moving right away. Many did in fact say good night to Link and Zelda. Link wandered over to her through the crowd.

Eventually, there were only five gorillas left. Four of them all stood together, while Chichwa stood to the side. He seemed most humble at this moment. This must be the council.

Instantly, Zelda bowed her head. Link did the same thing almost instantly. _"Raise your heads, Chosen. You have no reason to bow to us, not on this day." _Zelda looked up at the group hesitantly.

"_I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule," _she told the council, settling down onto her hunches and keeping her back straight. She managed to keep her tail still for the most part.

"_And I am Link of Hyrule, Zelda's protector and guide," _Link said, taking a similar stance to Zelda's. They shared a quick glance.

A gorilla was a mix of brown and black hair stepped forward and bowed. _"I am Tygarr, the mediator of Luciferius."_

"_I am Matsu, the Second-hand of the council," _a nearly white gorilla said.

"_I am Rafiki, the Keeper of Luciferus' legends," _a white headed gorilla offered.

And finally, _"I am Saka-Kei, the head councilman of Luciferus." _She smiled at Link and Zelda politely and beckoned them to follow. All five gorillas turned and went into the dark forest. Zelda jumped to her paws and ran off after them, conscious of the fact that Link was right on her heels. Thankfully, they didn't lose sight of any of the large animals in the wooded area. Soon, they were walking right next to Chichwa. It was a good thing for sure, because soon enough the woods pressed further on the trail until they were all in one straight line.

Suddenly, Chichwa said, _"The area we are heading to is very sacred. You must be very careful where you tread. Very few of us ever come this way."_

"_Thank you for bringing us," _Zelda said softly.

"_You are very important," _Chichwa said gently. Then he fell silent again.

Eventually, Zelda noticed a roof poking out in the wooded area. They were heading straight to what seemed to be a very old building. That's when Zelda noticed that all the gorilla started disappearing, right ahead of them. Even her night vision didn't help her see into the area they all entered. She hesitated a moment, glanced at Link, and pushed herself forward. The air was cool and musty as soon as she entered the dark area. She noticed that the ground started angling downwards when she took a few steps forward. They were going underground. With wide eyes, Zelda started a steady, cautious pace. Link was behind her, a comforting presence.

The ground angled further and further down. Her breath started coming in faster and her chest started to tighten. It felt like the walls were going to start caving in… Suddenly, the ground all leveled out. She noticed a light, at the far end of a tunnel. Relief surged through her and she couldn't help, but start to run towards the exit. She stopped as soon as she entered the lit room.

Everything around the room spoke of a temple. There seemed to intricate Celtic signs all over the walls, blending together to make beautiful pictures. Statues of the Goddesses were on the walls and between the three Goddesses there were two statues, faceless beings, that stared at one another. They had their hands outstretched, palms upwards, and held a box between their hands. The box was a dark, dark color, scuffed around a lot of the edges and it seemed to be warped a bit.

"_Have a seat," _Saka-Kei commanded, turning towards the wolves. Zelda resumed her straight posture, although her tail thumped lightly once. Link sat beside her. Chichwa, Saka-Kei, Tygarr and Matsu all sat as well.

Only Rafiki still stood. He ambled over to the middle of the room and said, _"Our kind has been around for thousands of years, ever since the Goddesses gave us land and life. For a long time, there was one land, under one rule of the same generation of the Hilas. Every King, or Queen, that took command received talismans. They were gifts from the Goddesses, granting the land hopes of a bright future. Unfortunately, as the generations passed by, the talismans were lost. Eventually, six of the seven talismans were lost, in the war between the two races."_

"_That was the Celtics and Native Americans, wasn't it?!" _Zelda piped in, unable to keep her mouth closed.

Rafiki nodded. _"Did the Hylians acquire knowledge of the people?"_

"_We have very few documents of the races, unfortunately."_

Rafiki nodded grimly. _"That is the case for all of us. Even I don't have much information. We only have our legends passed down by generations. There is one, the biggest Prophecy any of us have ever seen. The Goddesses left a stone, scripted in stone." _Rafiki beckoned Link and Zelda over, to the far side of the cavern. It was then Zelda could make out the scripture; دو خلق خدا کرے گی, جو اپ میں ائے گی.' ایک وقت کی ضرورت ہے. اپ کے طلسم. یہی امن لانے کی زمین پوری کررہے ہیں. '.

"_What does it say?" _Zelda asked softly.

"'_There will be two creatures, who will come to you in a time of great need. You must give them the talisman. It is the only way to bring fulfilling peace to the land'." _Rafiki paused, glancing at Zelda and Link. _"Princess Zelda, you are the one of the Chosen Ones. Once we realized who you were, it was obvious who Guardian Link was as well. And now, it is time to fulfill what we were destined to."_

Saka-Kei stood up at that point and went for the box held between the unknown people. She cradled the box in her hands carefully and brought the box towards Link and Zelda. _"This talisman is one of the most important pieces left in the world. We were always aware that one day we'd have to give it to the Chosen Ones. It's time to pass it on. Only one of you will be able to use the item. The talisman will tell you."_

Saka-Kei crouched down on the ground and opened the lid. It was the most gorgeous thing Zelda had ever seen. It was a circlet, weaved and designed to hold a beautiful moonstone in the middle. She'd seen pictures of the circlet in faded texts in the library. It had always been described as just a legend. To see it in person was amazing. Saka-Kei lifted the piece from the worn-down red velvet and asked, _"Which of you would like to try the piece first?"_

Link glanced at Zelda and noticed the awed expression on her face. He smiled and told Saka-Kei, _"Give the piece to Zelda. I'm sure this is for her." _Zelda didn't seem to notice Link had spoken.

Saka-Kei nodded and told Zelda, _"Bow your head." _Zelda did exactly as she was told. Saka-Kei carefully placed the piece around her ears, careful not to hurt her. The piece fit perfectly.

Then the most surprising thing happened. Light suddenly engulfed Zelda. It felt as if the cavern was suddenly filled with wind, tearing at Link's pelt. Shrieking filled the air, sounding inhuman and completely unintelligible. Zelda's form collapsed into the dirt. The light dispersed.

And there she was, unconscious and human once again.

**~A/N~**

**Don't fret. This is obviously not the end. There's much, much more plot to come. This is only the beginning.**

**I do apologize for the short chapter. I expected something much more grand, but I realized it couldn't be as grand as I'd envisioned. There's only so much you can do with a small council and a circlet.**

**There is a link for the actual picture of the Circlet. You can access it on my Bio, right below Zelda's wolf form.**

**I didn't do the translation myself, so if any of the wording is incorrect I apologize greatly**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this. R&R!**

**XmX**


End file.
